Dr. Ashenhurst set the tone of the session by saying that the panel would discuss systems analysis in the industrial management sense, "With a view toward coordinating educational programs with management needs".

Systems analysis and design

Many models of the design and development process have been published over the years, representing it for different purposes and from different points of view. This article contributes an organising framework that clarifies the topology of the literature on these models and thereby relates the main perspectives that have been developed. The main categories of model are introduced. Their contexts, advantages, and limitations are considered through discussion of selected examples. It is demonstrated that the framework integrates coverage of earlier reviews and as such provides a new perspective on the literature. Finally, key characteristics of design and development process models are discussed considering their applications in practice, and opportunities for further research are suggested. Overall, the article should aid researchers in positioning new models and new modelling approaches in relation to state-of-the-art. It may also be of interest to practitioners and educators seeking an overview of developments in this area.

/pdf/process-models-in-design-and-development-2147go92zx.pdf

Process models in design and development

http://www.systemdesignllc.com/pdf/paper01.pdf

A decomposition approach for manufacturing system design

A framework to reduce product environmental impact through design optimization for additive manufacturing

A plethora of process modeling techniques has been proposed over the years. One way of evaluating and comparing the scope and completeness of techniques is by way of representational analysis. The purpose of this paper is to examine how process modeling techniques have developed over the last four decades. The basis of the comparison is the Bunge-Wand-Weber representation model, a benchmark used for the analysis of grammars that purport to model the real world and the interactions within it. This paper presents a comparison of representational analyses of several popular process modeling techniques and has two main outcomes. First, it provides insights, within the boundaries of a representational analysis, into the extent to which process modeling techniques have developed over time. Second, the findings also indicate areas in which the underlying theory seems to be over-engineered or lacking in specialization.

/pdf/a-study-of-the-evolution-of-the-representational-fr5vcq3ib3.pdf

A study of the evolution of the representational capabilities of process modeling grammars

: For all the rapid advances in computer hardware and specific software technology, enterprise engineering, reengineering, and enterprise integration efforts continue to lack effective, widely understood methods for engineering large-scale information systems. Diverse methods are needed to engineer systems that exhibit desirable life-cycle characteristics (e.g., flexibility, responsiveness, scalability, maintainability, ease of use, integration, performance) and for engaging teams of people in critical life-cycle system development activities. Integration Definition (IDEF) methods, a key product of the IICE program, provide easy-to-use techniques and standard languages of communication that promote good engineering discipline. This report summarizes new IDEF developments toward establishing reliable methods for business constraint discovery (IDEF9), design rationale capture (IDEF6), human system interaction design (IDEF8), and network design (IDEF14). For each method, the conceptual foundations, relevance, issues, and recommended follow-on development activities are discussed.

/pdf/information-integration-for-concurrent-engineering-iice-3t44ylsbmx.pdf

Information Integration for Concurrent Engineering (IICE) Compendium of Methods Report

Many organizations today undertake Business Process Reengineering (BPR) and information infrastructure (i.e., network hardware, communications, and applications infrastructure) modernization efforts to drastically reduce costs and improve performance. While these efforts would appear to be mutually supportive and complementary in nature, they are rarely conducted jointly. Although it is known that changes to one of these two facets of the organization can produce significant impacts on the other, analysts and decision-makers have had only limited support for predicting the impacts of change to one or both of these two facets of the enterprise. BPR efforts are generally conducted using business process simulation tools. Information infrastructure modernization efforts are generally conducted using network simulation tools. What is lacking is an integrated method and the automated environment for studying the impacts of change to one of these two as pects of the enterprise on the other. This paper presents a simulation-based methodology enabling simultaneous consideration of changes to core business processes and the infrastructure mechanisms that support those processes.

/pdf/a-methodology-for-integrating-business-process-and-4pkjk1ouq5.pdf

A methodology for integrating business process and information infrastructure models

This paper describes an ontology-driven framework for process-oriented applications. The research described in this paper is motivated by the lack of information sharing mechanisms at the semantic level among process-oriented applications. Our approach addresses this problem through the determination of inter-application information flow requirements via an analysis of: (i) application method ontologies; and (ii) application software tool ontologies. The tool describes the overall ontology driven approach and the inter-method ontology mappings that drive the inter-tool information flow requirements. An example information integration scenario is outlined in order to illustrate the practical application of our approach. Lastly, we summarize the research and outline the benefits

/pdf/an-ontology-driven-framework-for-process-oriented-13ck74ey01.pdf

An ontology-driven framework for process-oriented applications

In this paper, we present an approach towards achieving standards-based multi-vendor hardware configuration. This approach uses the Instrumentation Hardware Abstraction Language (IHAL) and a standardized web service Application Programming Interface (API) specification to allow any Instrumentation Support System (ISS) to control instrumentation hardware in a vendor neutral way without requiring non-disclosure agreements or knowledge of proprietary information. Additionally, we will describe a real-world implementation of this approach using KBSI‟s InstrumentMap application and an implementation of the web service API by L-3 Communications Telemetry East.

IHAL and Web Service Interfaces to Vendor Configuration Engines

This paper describes research aimed at investigating how to help decision makers devise optimized frequency scheduling and management strategies, both for advanced planning and real-time metrics adjustment. Part of these investigations include research to (i) define the metrics, objectives, and constraints involved in optimal frequency allocation decision-making; (ii) harmonize competing, orthogonal goals when devising candidate solutions; and (iii) devise an architectural strategy for dynamic spectrum allocation and management.

/pdf/strategies-for-optimized-spectrum-allocation-and-management-3lo2vhxy56.pdf

Ronald Fernandes

Papers

Information Integration for Concurrent Engineering (IICE) Compendium of Methods Report

A methodology for integrating business process and information infrastructure models

An ontology-driven framework for process-oriented applications

IHAL and Web Service Interfaces to Vendor Configuration Engines

Strategies for Optimized Spectrum Allocation and Management