This paper provides an overview of the STATEMATE system, constructed over the past several years by the authors and their colleagues at Ad Cad Ltd., the R&D subsidiary of i-Logix, Inc. STATEMATE is a set of tools, with a heavy graphical orientation, in- tended for the specification, analysis, design, and documentation of large and complex reactive systems, such as real-time embedded sys- tems, control and communication systems, and interactive software or hardware. It enables a user to prepare, analyze, and debug diagram- matic, yet precise, descriptions of the system under development from three interrelated points of view, capturing structure, functionality, and behavior. These views are represented by three graphical languages, the most intricate of which is the language of statecharts [4], used to depict reactive behavior over time. In addition to the use of statecharts, the main novelty of STATEMATE is in the fact that it "understands " the entire descriptions perfectly, to the point of being able to analyze them for crucial dynamic properties, to carry out rigorous ex- ecutions and simulations of the described system, and to create run- ning code automatically. These features are invaluable when it comes to the quality and reliability of the final outcome.

We describe the design and representation schemes used in constructing a prototype computational environment for modeling and simulating multi-agent software engineering processes. We refer to this environment as the Articulator. We provide an overview of the Articulator's architecture which identifies five principal components. Three of these components, the knowledge meta-model, the software process behavior simulator, and a knowledge base querying mechanism are detailed and examples are included. The conclusion reiterates what is novel to this approach in applying knowledge engineering techniques to the problems of understanding the statics and dynamics of complex software engineering processes. Index Terms -- agents, artificial intelligence, deductive query, distributed problem solving, meta-model of software processes, modeling of software processes, process programming, process simulation. 1 The authors are with the Computer Science Department, University of Southern California...

Managing the software development and maintenance process has been identified as a great challenge for several years. Software processes are highly dynamic and can only rarely be planned completely in advance. Dynamic task nets take this into account. They are built and modified incrementally as a software process is executed. Dynamic task nets have been designed to solve important problems of process dynamics, including product-dependent structural evolution, feedbacks, and concurrent engineering. In order to describe editing and enactment (and their interaction) in a uniform way, task nets are formally defined by means of a programmed graph rewriting system.

One crucial function of a workflow management system (WFMS) is to assign tasks to users who are eligible to carry them out. Except in simple workflow scenarios, roles such as secretary and manager are not a sufficient basis for determining eligibility. Additionally, WFMSs are deployed not only in group settings by small companies but also worldwide by large enterprises. Since local laws and business policies have to be followed, task assignment policies for the same task generally differ from country to country and, therefore, must be specified locally. The Policy Resolution Architecture (PRA) model provides more generality and expressiveness than role models do and at the same time supports the independent specification of task assignment policies in different parts of an enterprise. PRA can be used to model arbitrary organization structures and to define realistic task assignment (eligibility) rules by means of precisely defined organizational policies. Thus, PRA provides real-world organizations with a precise, simple means of expressing their complex task assignment policies.

Process modeling is a rather young and very active research area. During the last few years, new languages and methods have been proposed to describe software processes. In this paper we try to clarify the issues involved in software process modeling and identify the main approaches. We start by motivating the use of process modeling and its main objectives. We then propose a list of desirable features for process languages. The features are grouped as either already provided by languages from other fields or as specific features of the process domain. Finally, we review the main existing approaches and propose a classification scheme.

Process modeling is an active research area. Dur� ing the last few years � new languages and methods have been proposed to describe software processes. In this paper we try to clarify the issues involved in software process modeling and identify the main approaches. We also review the main existing approaches and pro� pose a classi�cation scheme.

Eliciting process models from software projects is a first significant step towards process improvement. In this paper, we present a method called Elicit, for eliciting software process models from industrial software environments. What is significant about this method is that it has evolved from an intuitive state -- the state that defines the immaturity of current elicitation methods -- to a formally defined, repeatable, effective and quantified state. Over the last two years of its usage, the method has been used to elicit models from three industrialscale processes: preliminary analysis, requirements engineering, and product planning and dependency management. The example given in the paper focuses on the requirements engineering process. Keywords: Process model elicitation method; Method evolution; Process modelling; Software process models; Process improvement; Industrial-scale case studies. 1 Introduction There is a general recognition, both in academia and the software indust...

We describe two models for federating process-centered environments (PCEs): homogeneous federation among distinct instances of the same environment framework enacting the same or different process models, and heterogeneous federation among diverse process enactment systems. We identify the requirements and consider possible architectures for each model, although we concentrate primarily on the homogeneous case. The bulk of the paper presents our choice of architecture, and corresponding infrastructure, for homogeneous federation among Marvel environment instances as realized in the Oz system. We briefly consider how a single Marvel environment, or an Oz federation of Marvel environments, might be integrated into a heterogeneous federation based on ProcessWall's facilities for interoperating PCEs. Keywords: Collaborative work, Distributed system, Enterprise-wide environment, Geographical distribution, Internet, Process interoperability, Software process, Workflow management c fl1997...

We present the design of a new rule-based process engine that generalizes previous systems to support process enforcement, automation, guidance, monitoring, delegation, planning, simulation, instrumentation and potentially other applications. Our approach is fully knowledge-based, tailored by knowledge regarding the process assistance policies to be supported as well as the process definition. 1 Introduction A process is a set of steps for developing a software system. Different processes are needed for different projects, organizations and application domains. Thus, a software development environment intended to intelligently assist users in carrying out any of a wide range of processes should be knowledge-based. In particular, a process model represents the knowledge of the process steps, their prerequisites and consequences, and any synchronization among concurrent steps, defined in some process modeling language (PML). A process assistance system, generally known as a process-cen...

We describe two models for federating process-centered environments, homogeneous federation where the interoperability is among distinct process models enacted by different copies of the same system and heterogeneous federation with interoperability among distinct process enactment systems. We identify the requirements and possible architectures for each model. The bulk of the paper presents the specific architecture and infrastructure for homogeneous federation we realized in the Oz system. We briefly consider how Oz might be integrated into a heterogeneous federation to serve as one of its interoperating PCEs. Keywords: Collaborative work, Distributed system, Enterprise-wide process, Geographical distribution, Internet, Software process, Workflow management c fl1996, Israel Z. Ben-Shaul and Gail E. Kaiser This paper is based on work sponsored in part by Advanced Research Project Agency under ARPA Order B128 monitoredby Air Force Rome Lab F30602-94-C-0197, in part by National Science...