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A Software-Selection-For-Process-Modelling (SSPM) tool for a tertiary educational setting
Dissertation (MEng (Industrial Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2025.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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University of Pretoria
2026
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| _version_ | 1867613662422761472 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author2 | De Vries, Marne |
| author_browse | De Vries, Marne |
| author_facet | De Vries, Marne |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | © 2024 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
| description | Dissertation (MEng (Industrial Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2025. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/108032 |
| institution | University of Pretoria (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:39:42.666Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | University of Pretoria |
| publisherStr | University of Pretoria |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| spelling | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/108032 A Software-Selection-For-Process-Modelling (SSPM) tool for a tertiary educational setting De Vries, Marne mgb0905@gmail.com Baldwin, Matthew Gary UCTD Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) BPMN Usability Decision Support Tool Selection Tertiary Education Dissertation (MEng (Industrial Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2025. Business process modelling plays a critical role in improving clarity, communication, and assessment in tertiary education. Yet selecting a usable, free-to-use modelling tool remains a persistent challenge for educators and students, particularly given inconsistent feature offerings, recurring usability problems, and the lack of comparative guidance in the literature. This study addresses that gap by designing and evaluating a Software-Selection-for-Process- Modelling (SSPM) artefact that supports transparent, requirement-driven tool choice in tertiary educational environments.Guided by Design Science Research, the study first confirmed a class of recurring usability problems by conducting a systematic review of peer-reviewed and grey literature and by experimenting with the commonly used Bizagi Modeler process modelling tool. The synthesis identified minimum and preferred requirements reflecting effectiveness, efficiency, satisfaction, learnability, and context of use. These requirements, together with evidence from the literature, formed the basis for constructing a comparative dataset of free-to-use tools. The SSPM uses this dataset through an integrated decision pipeline combining a structured preference-capture form with a retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) model and a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) component. Each tool is represented as a structured semantic “chunk,” enabling similarity-based retrieval against user-specified requirements. Weighted MCDA scoring, controlled by an adjustable α-parameter using a geometric-mean calculation, integrates this retrieval output with documented tool evidence to generate ranked recommendations with full traceability.The SSPM was evaluated with two lecturers representing different tertiary contexts and through hands-on experimentation using Camunda, a tool identified through SSPM recommendations. Lecturer evaluations highlighted clear interface strengths, relevance of criteria, and transparency of the scoring logic, while also identifying practical integration limitations in the current prototype. With SUS scores improving substantially (45 to 77.5) following interface refinements. Experimentation confirmed that the SSPM’s predictions accurately reflected Camunda’s observed performance, validating the artefact’s ability to translate usability concerns into reliable tool recommendations.The study contributes: (1) a requirements set addressing the documented gaps in tertiary-oriented modelling-tool research; (2) a transparent SSPM artefact that combines RAG and MCDA for context-sensitive software selection; and (3) an evaluated demonstration showing practical decision-support value for tertiary educators. Future work may expand the SSPM to additional software domains, integrate enhanced usability and AI-related requirements, automate the retrieval workflow, and incorporate student-centred evaluation to explore tool suitability across broader tertiary use cases. Industrial and Systems Engineering MEng (Industrial Engineering) Restricted Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology SDG-04: Quality education 2026-02-10T18:14:51Z 2026-02-10T18:14:51Z 2026-05-14 2025-11-25 Dissertation * A2026 http://hdl.handle.net/2263/108032 https://doi.org/10.25403/UPresearchdata.31293079 and https://doi.org/10.25403/UPresearchdata.31294111 en © 2024 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria |
| spellingShingle | UCTD Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) BPMN Usability Decision Support Tool Selection Tertiary Education A Software-Selection-For-Process-Modelling (SSPM) tool for a tertiary educational setting |
| title | A Software-Selection-For-Process-Modelling (SSPM) tool for a tertiary educational setting |
| title_full | A Software-Selection-For-Process-Modelling (SSPM) tool for a tertiary educational setting |
| title_fullStr | A Software-Selection-For-Process-Modelling (SSPM) tool for a tertiary educational setting |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Software-Selection-For-Process-Modelling (SSPM) tool for a tertiary educational setting |
| title_short | A Software-Selection-For-Process-Modelling (SSPM) tool for a tertiary educational setting |
| title_sort | software selection for process modelling sspm tool for a tertiary educational setting |
| topic | UCTD Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) BPMN Usability Decision Support Tool Selection Tertiary Education |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/2263/108032 https://doi.org/10.25403/UPresearchdata.31293079 and https://doi.org/10.25403/UPresearchdata.31294111 |