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3 Architecture for a Process Meta‐System
Author(s) -
Gundrum Valerie
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
incose international symposium
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2334-5837
DOI - 10.1002/j.2334-5837.1999.tb00162.x
Subject(s) - process (computing) , process management , computer science , architecture , software engineering , software architecture , confusion , order (exchange) , software , systems engineering , knowledge management , risk analysis (engineering) , engineering , business , art , psychology , finance , psychoanalysis , visual arts , programming language , operating system
This paper discusses using a four‐view architecture description, namely the physical, functional, behavioral, and product views to describe a site's “process system.” Defining this architecture will allow better understanding and usage of the process elements. To understand what a process meta‐system is, we can start with the definition of system as the compilation of hardware, software, and operator/user actions, designed in a configuration that will meet user needs and produce the desired products. For this paper, a process meta‐system refers to the infrastructure that is used by its stakeholders, in order to select, tailor, implement and assure a process that will create the right system. The impetus for this formulation was the realization that many companies, including my own, had a support structure for defining, documenting, instructing, and deploying process and methods, but there was confusion about the activity sequence, roles, responsibilities, approvals, tailoring, and compliance. The approach of this paper is that a process infrastructure is comprised of physical components on which functions are performed, in a time‐sequenced manner, resulting in the necessary work products. These include: a clear understanding of the sequence of activities, an understanding of the inter‐relationship of the program personnel and process owners, timely tailoring and utilization of process assets, and cross‐discipline understanding of roles and responsibilities.