A framework to define a generic enterprise reference architecture and methodology

One of the most significant opportunities for enterprise integration is the recent advancement of agent based systems. However, before agents can be widely used, a methodology must be established for the development of these systems. This paper outlines a methodology for the software engineering of agent based systems. The methodology is based upon the IDEF (ICAM Definition) approach for workflow modelling, the CIMOSA enterprise modelling framework, and the use case driven approach to object oriented software engineering. The methodology is illustrated by a case study in the area of discrete parts manufacturing.

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A Methodology for Developing Agent Based Systems for Enterprise Integration

In complex problem solving domains such as supervisory control, one approach to human-centered automation is intelligent associate systems. This paper proposes a taxonomy of cooperative problem solving; provides an analysis of models used in cooperative problem solving; and discusses a variety of intelligent associate systems.

Cooperative problem solving in human-machine systems: theory, models, and intelligent associate systems

Distributed supervisory control is the monitoring and control of complex, dynamic, highly automated systems by a team of human operators. As such, it is an example of a cooperative work environment. The goal of this paper is to analyze the nature of cooperative work in distributed supervisory control environments and describe implications for computer support. In particular, we argue that flexible support for activity management is a key requirement for computer support for distributed supervisory control, and we propose the intelligent support for activity management (ISAM) architecture as one infrastructure for doing so. The design and implementation of ISAM draws from previous work on intelligent operator's associate systems and computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) systems. A graphical user interface to ISAM and an evaluation study of this system in the context of team supervisory control are also described.

Intelligent support for activity management (ISAM): an architecture to support distributed supervisory control

In this article, we study the dynamics of business processes and interactions between business units in an enterprise, and to this end, we developed a framework for enterprise modeling using the process hierarchy approach. We developed and implemented a multiagent information system (MAIS) for the supply chain network for capturing both the structure and the processes of an enterprise. The MAIS is implemented on the Swarm simulation platform and models the order fulfillment process (OFP) as one of the core tasks of supply chain networks. In addition to modeling the interactions in the OFP, the MAIS is also used as a simulation testbed to experiment with different strategies to improve the performance of the OFP.

Charles J. Petrie

Papers

An Object Oriented Method for Integrated Enterprise Modeling as a Basis for Enterprise Coordination