Object Process Methodology

Abstract: Object-Process CASE Tool (OPCAT), which supports system development using Object-Process Methodology, meets the challenges of next generation CASE tools by providing a complete integrated software and system development environment. The main reasons for which CASE tools have spread at a lower pace than expected are their limited support of a particular method, high cost, lack of measurable returns, and unrealistic user expectations. Although many CASE tools implement familiar methods, their consistency checking and simulation capabilities are limited, if not inexistent, and the syntax and semantics of their graphic notations may not be clear to novice users. Based on two human cognition principles, OPCAT enables balanced modeling of the structural and behavioral aspects of systems in a single view through a bimodal visual-lingual representation. Due to this intuitive dual notation, the resulting model is comprehensible to both domain experts and system architects engaged in the development process. Due to OPM formality, OPCAT also provides a solid basis for implementation generation and an advanced simulation tool, which animates system behavior. This paper presents OPCAT and demonstrates its unique features through a small case study of a travel management information system.

Abstract: Multiple modeling methods for constructing agent-based systems have been suggested, however none of them has been accepted as a standard. A prominent reason for this is the gap that exists between agent-oriented methods and the modeling needs of agent-based systems. This gap is, in large part, due to lack of an agreed-upon set of building blocks for modeling Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) and standalone agents, and lack of support for essential software engineering properties. To bridge the gap, we suggest a set of building blocks and an agent-based modeling method. The building blocks should be useful as a basis for developing modeling methods for MAS, and as a benchmark for comparison between such methods. Our proposed modeling method, which is based on the building blocks, is novel in its ability to capture the different aspects of MAS in a single unifying framework. It further excels in providing accessibility, expressiveness and flexibility, which are major lacking software engineering properties in other methods. We demonstrate the usage of the method for modeling MAS, optionally, in conjunction with an existing MAS infrastructure. Thus, our method enhances both the utilization of existing infrastructure and the development of agent-oriented models.

Abstract: We investigate potential benefits of employing the Design Structure Matrix (DSM) in the context of Model–Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) for the purposes of analyzing and improving the design of a product–project ensemble. Focusing on process DSM, we present an algorithm for a bidirectional transformation framework between a product–project system model and its corresponding Model–Based DSM (MDSM). Using Object–Process Methodology (OPM) as the underlying modeling language, we examine and characterize useful and insightful relationships between the system model and its MDSM. An unmanned aerial vehicle case study demonstrates the semantics of and analogy between various types of relationships as they are reflected in both the OPM system model and the MDSM derived from it. We conclude with further research direction on showing how clustering of DSM processes can be reflected back as an improvement of the OPM model. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng 16