BPM-CBA: a process modelling approach to mapping cost-benefit drivers in digital agriculture

Digital technologies in agriculture are frequently assessed solely through technical performance indicators, often overlooking their broader impact on farm practices, organi- sational routines, and stakeholder responsibilities. This paper introduces the BPM-CBA (Business Process Modelling and Cost- Benefit Analysis) approach, a framework designed to system- atically identify and trace the cost and benefit implications of digital transformation in agriculture. Developed in the EU- funded CODECS project, this methodology integrates partici- patory business process modelling with agricultural economics to systematically trace how digital solutions modify operational practices and generate distinct cost and benefit. This study focuses specifically on the methodological step of identifying and mapping cost-benefit drivers, which connect changes in BPMN tasks to predefined cost-benefit objects. By establishing these links, the approach provides a structured, repeatable, and transparent way to trace the effects of digital process transfor- mation and prepare them for subsequent economic valuation. We demonstrate the application of BPM-CBA through a pilot study involving the Pecorino Toscano Consortium, which adopted a Farm Management Information System (FMIS) as its digital solution. By mapping the transition from as is to to be process models, we illustrate the value of process decomposition supports the systematic identification of cost-benefit drivers. The resulting driver-based mapping provides a structured basis for subsequent cost-benefit valuation and digital investment assessment, without requiring monetary valuation at this stage.