This paper describes how knowledge-based techniques can be used to overcome problems of workflow management in engineering applications. Using explicit process and product models as a basis for a workflow interpreter allows us to alternate planning and execution steps, resulting in an increased flexibility of project coordination and enactment. To gain the full advantages of this flexibility, change processes have to be supported by the system. These require an improved traceability of decisions and have to be based on dependency management and change notification mechanisms. Our methods and techniques are illustrated by two applications: Urban land-use planning and software process modeling.

/pdf/knowledge-based-techniques-to-increase-the-flexibility-of-337vam8oqv.pdf

Knowledge-based techniques to increase the flexibility of workflow management

The MILOS system supports software development processes over the Internet. It integrates process modeling with project planning and enactment. Our flexible workflow engine allows refining and changing process models during project execution. The built-in traceability component supports change notifications and helps the project participants to ensure that the project plan as well as the state of the enactment engine reflect the "real world" development process. Tool integration is accomplished by using the built-in capabilities of Web browsers.

http://ase.cpsc.ucalgary.ca/uploads/Publications/1999/p642-maurer.pdf

Software process support over the Internet

Discusses the notion of software process inconsistency and suggests that inconsistencies in software processes are inevitable and sometimes desirable. We present an approach to process analysis that helps discover different perceptions of a software process and that supports the discovery of process inconsistencies and process improvements stimulated by these inconsistencies. By analogy with viewpoints for requirements engineering that allow multiple perspectives on a software system specification to be managed, we have developed the notion of process viewpoints that provide multi-perspective descriptions of software processes. A process viewpoint includes a statement of focus or "world view", a set of sources of process information, a process description and a set of organizational concerns that represent goals or constraints on the process analysis. We present a description and rationale of process viewpoints, discuss the process of applying process viewpoints for process understanding, and illustrate the overall approach using part of a case study drawn from industrial processes that are part of a safety-critical system development.

/pdf/managing-process-inconsistency-using-viewpoints-19o2hv4q8d.pdf

Managing process inconsistency using viewpoints

Industrial software development is a highly complex, dynamic task, which is not only determined by the choice of the right technologies but also – to a large degree – by the knowledge and skills of the people involved. The success of software organisations depends on its ability to facilitate continuous improvement of products and processes (strategic level) and on the effectiveness and efficiency of product development (project level). On both levels management takes the key role. The focus of this PhD research is on simulation-based learning to support both strategic and project management in software organisations. The main contribution of the research work lies in the design, application and validation of a framework for Integrated Measurement, Modelling, and Simulation (IMMoS). The IMMoS framework supports managers to cope with the dynamic complexity of software development by providing guidance on building and using quantitative simulation models as a source for learning and improvement. Simulation models are valuable tools for managers because they help them understand the effects of new technologies and policies on the performance of software development processes. Based on simulations, managers can explore and analyse potential improvements before implementation and empirical evaluation of the related process changes in a pilot project. In addition, quantitative simulation models can be used to support planning and control tasks. The core element of IMMoS is the simulation modelling method System Dynamics (SD), which integrates quantitative (black-box) and explanatory (white-box) modelling in a natural way. The novelty of IMMoS is twofold. Firstly, it enhances existing guidance for SD model development by adding a component that enforces goal-orientation, and by providing a refined process model with detailed description of activities, products, and roles involved in SD modelling and simulation. Secondly, it describes how to integrate SD modelling with established static black-box and white-box modelling methods, i.e. goal-oriented measurement and descriptive process modelling. IMMoS has been successfully applied in industrial software organisations. The effectiveness and efficiency of IMMoS is supported with empirical evidence from two industrial case studies and one controlled experiment. diss.book Page v Tuesday, November 27, 2001 10:26 AM

An integrated approach to simulation-based learning in support of strategic and project management in software organisations

Measurement is a necessary prerequisite for software process improvement. However, few guidelines exist for the systematic planning of measurement programs within software projects. We advocate beginning with goal-oriented measurement, as expressed in the GQM (goal-question-metric) paradigm. When applying GQM, meaningful refinement of measurement goals requires a deep understanding of the organization's software development processes. Software process modeling can act as a means to gain this understanding. We provide guidelines that state how software processes should be modeled in order to support the introduction of measurement in a software project. The process models are used to derive non-intrusive data collection procedures that satisfy the needs of multiple measurement goals and thereby minimize the data collection overhead. Finally, we present the lessons learned from jointly applying software process modeling and measurement technologies in two industrial software projects.

The role of software process modeling in planning industrial measurement programs

Intellectual control over software development projects requires the existence of an integrated set of explicit models of the products to be developed, the processes used to develop them, the resources needed, and the productivity and quality aspects involved. In recent years the development of languages, methods and tools for modeling software processes, analyzing and enacting them has become a major emphasis of software engineering research. The majority of current process research concentrates on prescriptive modeling of small, completely formalizable processes and their execution entirely on computers. This research direction has produced process modeling languages suitable for machine rather than human consumption. The MVP project, launched at the University of Maryland and continued at Universitat Kaiserslautern, emphasizes building descriptive models of large, real-world processes and their use by humans and computers for the purpose of understanding, analyzing, guiding and improving software development projects. The language MVP-L has been developed with these purposes in mind. In this paper, we
motivate the need for MVP-L, introduce the prototype language, and demonstrate its uses. We assume that further improvements to our language will be triggered by lessons learned from applications and experiments.

MVP-L Language Report Version 2

Intellectual control over software development projects requires the existence of an integrated set of explicit models of the products to be developed, the processes used to develop them, and the productivity and quality aspects involved Processes especially are still based mostly on implicit models In recent years the development of languages, methods and tools for modeling software processes, analyzing and enacting them has become a major emphasis of software engineering research The majority of current process research projects concentrate on the prescriptive modeling of small, completely formalizable processes and their execution entirely on computers This research direction has produced process modeling languages suitable for machine rather than human consumption The MVP project, launched at the University of Maryland and continued at Universitat Kaiserslautern, emphasizes the building of descriptive models of large, real-world processes and their uses by humans and computers for the purpose of understanding, analysis, execution guidance and improvement The language MVP-L has been developed with these purposes in mind In this paper, we motivate the need for MVP-L, introduce the language, and demonstrate its uses It should be noticed, that MVP-L is only a prototype We assume that further improvements to our language will be triggered by lessons learned from future applications and experiments

MVP-L Language Report

Experience gathered from applying the software process modeling language MVP-L in software development organizations has shown the need for graphical representations of process models. Project members (i.e„ non MVP-L specialists) review models much more easily by using graphical representations. Although several various graphical notations were developed for individual projects in which MVP-L was applied, there was previously no consistent definition of a mapping between textual MVP-L models and graphical representations. This report defines a graphical representation schema for MVP-L
descriptions and combines previous results in a unified form. A basic set of building blocks (i.e., graphical symbols and text fragments) is defined, but because we must first gain experience with the new symbols, only rudimentary guidelines are given for composing basic
symbols into a graphical representation of a model.

https://kluedo.ub.uni-kl.de/files/4906/Br%C3%B6ckers_A%20graphical%20representation%20schema%20for%20the%20software%20process%20modeling%20language%20MVP-L.pdf

Alfred Bröckers

Papers

MVP-L Language Report Version 2

MVP-L Language Report

A graphical representation schema for the software process modeling language MVP-L