Purpose – The paper aims to present the design rationale, the structure and the use of a web-based information systems framework for collaborative business process modelling. Design/methodology/approach – By viewing process modelling as a “problematic situation” that entails a considerable amount of social and knowledge activity in order to be resolved, a novel process modelling construct has been developed and a participative problem-structuring methodology adapted to the specific domain. The framework presented is the result of an action research study for process improvement and has been introduced in a real organizational setting as a pilot application. Findings – Experiences from the use of the framework presented indicate that it stimulates interaction and makes participants more accountable for their modelling contributions, as well as aiding them to define, understand, document, analyze and improve business processes in a holistic manner by interacting with one another and with the model under construction. Research limitations/implications – Currently, the application of the framework is limited by and depends on the availability and the technical abilities of a technical facilitator, but work is under way towards automating the inter-process communication between the system implementing the problem-structuring methodology and the modelling environment. Practical implications – The framework presented can be used in distributed organizational settings for business process management through a structured modelling process. Originality/value – The paper presents an IS framework for business process management that integrates a problem-structuring methodology, a Knowledge Management System and a modelling/simulation environment in a consistent way.

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how the appropriate information and communication technology can act as a catalyst in the development and operations management of lean supply networks; not by automating tasks and procedures, but by providing the enabling infrastructure required for structuring difficult problems and issues arising at inter-organisational boundaries and for taming the social complexity of their resolution processes. Towards this end, we present the design rationale and the functionalities of Co-LEAN, which is an integrated suite of software tools developed by the authors for the design and management of lean supply networks. In addition to providing full operational support in the planning and execution of the lean supply network, Co-LEAN supports internet-based collaboration in the specification of value, the identification and optimisation of value-streams, the alignment of supply-chain strategy with the overall operations strategy, and the supply-chain improvement tasks. The paper discusses the knowledge and information management requirements of lean supply networks, and presents the main components and functionalities of Co-LEAN in the context of a use case in a supply network formed around a stainless steel tanks’ manufacturer.