Paper Number
ICIS2025-2147
Paper Type
Complete
Abstract
In an era where information systems (IS) continuously evolve and transform organizations, process models provide a critical lens that captures ‘reality in flight’ rather than static snapshots, offering insights that variance approaches alone cannot deliver. Despite their potential to answer important “how” questions and explain complex IS phenomena, process models remain underutilized compared to variance models. This paper presents a review of process modeling in IS research, examining theoretical foundations, classifications, contributions, and critiques. We analyze process models’ evolution, contributions to theory development, and practical applications. We address criticisms and highlight opportunities for advancing process-oriented research. The paper contributes to IS scholarship by synthesizing knowledge on process models, demonstrating their value, and identifying future research directions. Our review reveals that process models offer unique insights into dynamic IS phenomena, suggesting that greater integration of process perspectives would enhance explanatory power and practical relevance of IS research.
Recommended Citation
Alsubaie, Mohammed; Caldwell, Adam Edgar; Pitruzzello, Sam; Li, Jian; Akram, Nimra; Maynard, Sean B.; Ahmad, Atif; and Ainslie, Scott, "Process Modeling in Information Systems" (2025). ICIS 2025 Proceedings. 15.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2025/is_researchmethods/is_researchmethods/15
Process Modeling in Information Systems
In an era where information systems (IS) continuously evolve and transform organizations, process models provide a critical lens that captures ‘reality in flight’ rather than static snapshots, offering insights that variance approaches alone cannot deliver. Despite their potential to answer important “how” questions and explain complex IS phenomena, process models remain underutilized compared to variance models. This paper presents a review of process modeling in IS research, examining theoretical foundations, classifications, contributions, and critiques. We analyze process models’ evolution, contributions to theory development, and practical applications. We address criticisms and highlight opportunities for advancing process-oriented research. The paper contributes to IS scholarship by synthesizing knowledge on process models, demonstrating their value, and identifying future research directions. Our review reveals that process models offer unique insights into dynamic IS phenomena, suggesting that greater integration of process perspectives would enhance explanatory power and practical relevance of IS research.
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25-Research