Models and Tools for Managing Development Processes


Book Description

The development of products in disciplines such as mechanical, electrical, or software engineering is a challenging task. Costs have to be reduced, the ti- to-market has to be shortened, and quality has to be improved. Skilled engineers andsophisticatedtoolsforsupportingtechnicalworkarenecessaryprerequisites, yettheyarenotsu?cientformeetingtheseambitiousgoals.Inaddition,thework of developers must be coordinated so that they cooperate smoothly. To this end, the steps of the development process have to be planned, an engineer executing a task must be provided with documents and tools, the results of development activities have to be fed back to management which in turn has to adjust the plan accordingly, the documents produced in di?erent working areas have to kept consistent with each other, etc. This book reports on models and tools for managing development processes. It provides both a survey of the current state of the art and presents our own contributions. The material covered in this book is based on research in di?- ent engineering disciplines (mechanical, software, and chemical engineering). It presents a uni?ed view on the management of development processes in these disciplines.




Software Process Improvement and Management: Approaches and Tools for Practical Development


Book Description

Over the past decade, there has been an increase in attention and focus on the discipline of software engineering. Software engineering tools and techniques have been developed to gain more predictable quality improvement results. Process standards such as Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI), ISO 9000, Software Process Improvement and Capability dEtermination (SPICE), Agile Methodologies, and others have been proposed to assist organizations to achieve more predictable results by incorporating these proven standards and procedures into their software process. Software Process Improvement and Management: Approaches and Tools for Practical Development offers the latest research and case studies on software engineering and development. The production of new process standards assist organizations and software engineers in adding a measure of predictability to the software process. Companies can gain a decisive competitive advantage by applying these new and theoretical methodologies in real-world scenarios. Researchers, scholars, practitioners, students, and anyone interested in the field of software development and design should access this book as a major compendium of the latest research in the field.




Workflow Modeling


Book Description

At last - here's the long-awaited, extensively revised and expanded edition of the acclaimed and bestselling book, Workflow Modeling. This thoroughly updated resource provides you with clear, current, and concise guidance on creating highly effective workflow systems for your organization. The new edition offers you an even clearer methodology, refined techniques, more integrated examples, and up-to-the-minute coverage of recent developments and today's hottest topics. Providing proven techniques for identifying, modeling, and redesigning business processes, and explaining how to implement workflow improvement, this book helps you define requirements for systems development or systems acquisition. By showing you how to build visual models for illustrating workflow, the authors help you to assess your current business processes and see where process improvement and systems development can take place.




16th European Symposium on Computer Aided Process Engineering and 9th International Symposium on Process Systems Engineering


Book Description

This proceedings book brings together the leading innovations and achievements by leading professionals. It acts as a forum for engineers, scientists, researchers, managers and students from academia and industry to present and discuss progress being made in research and application of computer-aided process engineering.




Collaborative and Distributed Chemical Engineering. From Understanding to Substantial Design Process Support


Book Description

Summarizes the work of IMPROVE (Information Technology Support for Collaborative and Distributed Design Processes in Chemical Engineering), a joint project of research institutions at RWTH Aachen University.







Methods and Tools for Efficient Model-Based Development of Cyber-Physical Systems with Emphasis on Model and Tool Integration


Book Description

Model-based tools and methods are playing important roles in the design and analysis of cyber-physical systems before building and testing physical prototypes. The development of increasingly complex CPSs requires the use of multiple tools for different phases of the development lifecycle, which in turn depends on the ability of the supporting tools to interoperate. However, currently no vendor provides comprehensive end-to-end systems engineering tool support across the entire product lifecycle, and no mature solution currently exists for integrating different system modeling and simulation languages, tools and algorithms in the CPSs design process. Thus, modeling and simulation tools are still used separately in industry. The unique challenges in integration of CPSs are a result of the increasing heterogeneity of components and their interactions, increasing size of systems, and essential design requirements from various stakeholders. The corresponding system development involves several specialists in different domains, often using different modeling languages and tools. In order to address the challenges of CPSs and facilitate design of system architecture and design integration of different models, significant progress needs to be made towards model-based integration of multiple design tools, languages, and algorithms into a single integrated modeling and simulation environment. In this thesis we present the need for methods and tools with the aim of developing techniques for numerically stable co-simulation, advanced simulation model analysis, simulation-based optimization, and traceability capability, and making them more accessible to the model-based cyber physical product development process, leading to more efficient simulation. In particular, the contributions of this thesis are as follows: 1) development of a model-based dynamic optimization approach by integrating optimization into the model development process; 2) development of a graphical co-modeling editor and co-simulation framework for modeling, connecting, and unified system simulation of several different modeling tools using the TLM technique; 3) development of a tool-supported method for multidisciplinary collaborative modeling and traceability support throughout the development process for CPSs; 4) development of an advanced simulation modeling analysis tool for more efficient simulation.




Systems, Software and Services Process Improvement


Book Description

This volume constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 19th EuroSPI conference, held in Vienna, Austria, in June 2012. The 29 revised papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected. They are organized in topical sections on SPI and business factors; SPI lifecycle and models; SPI assessment and quality; SPI processes and standards; SPI in SMEs; SPI and implementation; creating environments supporting innovation and improvement; standards and experiences with the implementation of functional safety; business process management; SPI in SMEs - a project management perspective.




Managing the Dynamics of New Product Development Processes


Book Description

Managing the Dynamics of New-Product Development Processes merges product-based planning, process modelling, process execution, probabilistic simulations, and simulation based decision-making into one framework called the Dynamic new-Product Development Process. It provides readers with a means of improving the management of product development through enhanced methods and tools that are specifically tailored to the characteristics and challenges of such processes. It calls for a new Product Lifecycle Management paradigm of utilizing the managed product data for management of the product's development process. Within the framework, the methods used are enhanced or modified to fit the new-product development process requirements. Each specific method is exhaustively analyzed, from the basic definition of terms through a description of the state of the art of that topic and its limitations. Then, the method enhancements are illustrated by many examples, and discussed while suggesting further research directions. Finally, the enhanced methods are integrated and demonstrated by a test case. The main two methods described are the design structure matrix (DSM) and Petri nets, which are merged into a novel concept entitled DSM nets. Managing the Dynamics of New Product Development Processes provides algorithms, proofs, and practical examples that can be used for general study of the issues concerned. The main concepts presented are applicable to systems engineering and can be used by practitioners of product development processes, such as designers, product managers, and process managers, as well as developers of process management tools for systems with dynamically changing process structures.




Quality in Business Process Modeling


Book Description

This book covers the whole spectrum of modeling goals to achieve optimal quality in the process model developed. It focuses on how to balance quality considerations across all semiotic levels when models are used for different purposes, and is based on SEQUAL, a framework for understanding the quality of models and modeling languages, which can take into account all main aspects relating to the quality of models. Chapter 1 focuses on the theoretical foundations, introducing readers to the topics of business processes and business process modeling, as well as the most important concept underlying the modeling of business processes. In turn, Chapter 2 addresses the quality of models in general and business process models in particular. Chapter 3 contains a specialization of SEQUAL for quality of business process models. In Chapter 4, examples of the practical uses of business process models are provided, together with the results of detailed case studies on how to achieve and maintain quality in business process models. Chapter 5 presents a process modeling value framework that demonstrates how to achieve more long-term and higher return on investment with regard to (business) process and enterprise models. Lastly, Chapter 6 reviews the main points of the book and discusses the potential for business process modeling in the future through its combination with other types of modeling. The book has two intended audiences. It is primarily intended for computer science, software engineering and information system students at the postgraduate level who want to know more about business process modeling and the quality of models in preparation for professional practice. The second audience consists of professionals with extensive experience in and responsibilities related to the development and evolution of process-oriented information systems and information systems methodologies in general, who need to formalize and structure their practical experience or update their knowledge as a way to improve their professional activity. The book also includes a number of real-world case studies that make it easier to grasp the main theoretical concepts, helping readers apply the approaches described.