Paper Type
Complete
Abstract
Microservices architectures (MSA) are widely adopted to improve scalability and flexibility, yet their effectiveness depends on how well service boundaries reflect underlying business processes. Existing evaluation approaches primarily rely on structural and runtime metrics, providing limited insight into Business Process Alignment (BPA). This study proposes a criteria-driven, metrics-based evaluation framework that integrates established metrics with process- and capability-oriented indicators. Based on a systematic literature review, we derive a structured metric inventory and extend it with BPA-oriented metrics, including Process Step Coverage (PSC) and Business Capability Fidelity (BCF). The framework is demonstrated using two functionally equivalent prototypes: an ESB-based service-oriented architecture (SOA) and an event-driven MSA. The results show that BPA-oriented metrics reveal alignment differences not captured by conventional measures. The study operationalizes BPA as a measurable evaluation dimension and enables systematic comparison of architectural alternatives.
Paper Number
1246
Recommended Citation
Fattah-Weil, Jasmin and Zick, Lennart, "Making Business Process Alignment measurable: A metrics-based evaluation lens for microservices decomposition" (2026). AMCIS 2026 Proceedings. 3.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/amcis2026/ent_system/sig_entsys/3
Making Business Process Alignment measurable: A metrics-based evaluation lens for microservices decomposition
Microservices architectures (MSA) are widely adopted to improve scalability and flexibility, yet their effectiveness depends on how well service boundaries reflect underlying business processes. Existing evaluation approaches primarily rely on structural and runtime metrics, providing limited insight into Business Process Alignment (BPA). This study proposes a criteria-driven, metrics-based evaluation framework that integrates established metrics with process- and capability-oriented indicators. Based on a systematic literature review, we derive a structured metric inventory and extend it with BPA-oriented metrics, including Process Step Coverage (PSC) and Business Capability Fidelity (BCF). The framework is demonstrated using two functionally equivalent prototypes: an ESB-based service-oriented architecture (SOA) and an event-driven MSA. The results show that BPA-oriented metrics reveal alignment differences not captured by conventional measures. The study operationalizes BPA as a measurable evaluation dimension and enables systematic comparison of architectural alternatives.
Comments
SIG ENTSYS