Process architecture: Difference between revisions

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{{short description|Structural design of general process systems}}

'''Process architecture''' is the structural design of general process systems. andIt applies to fields such as computers (software, hardware, networks, etc.), [[business processesprocess]]es ([[enterprise architecture]], policy and procedures, logistics, project management, etc.), and any other process system of varying degrees of [[complexity]].<ref name=parch>Dawis, E. P., J. F. Dawis, Wei-Pin Koo (2001). Architecture of Computer-based Systems using Dualistic Petri Nets. Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, 2001 IEEE International Conference on Volume 3, 2001 Page(s):1554 - 1558 vol.3</ref>

[[Process (philosophy)|Processes]] are defined as having inputs, outputs and the energy required to transform inputs to outputs. Use of energy during transformation also implies a passage of time: a process takes [[Real-time computing|real time]] to perform its associated action. A process also requires space for input/output objects and transforming objects to exist: a process uses real space.

A process system is a specialized [[system]] of processes. Processes are comprisedcomposed of processes. Complex processes are made up of several processes that are in turn made up of several processes. This results in an overall structural [[hierarchy]] of [[abstraction]]. If the process system is studied hierarchically, it is easier to understand and manage; therefore, process architecture requires the ability to consider process systems hierarchically. Graphical modeling of process architectures is considered by [[dualistic Petri nets]]. Mathematical consideration of process architectures may be found in [[Calculus of communicating systems|CCS]] and the [[π-calculus]].

The structure of a process system, or its architecture, can be viewed as a dualistic relationship of its [[infrastructure]] and suprastructure.<ref name=parch/><ref name=ss7arch>Dawis, E. P. (2001). Architecture of an SS7 Protocol Stack on a Broadband Switch Platform using Dualistic Petri Nets. Communications, Computers and signal Processing, 2001. PACRIM. 2001 IEEE Pacific Rim Conference on Volume 1, 2001 Page(s):323 - 326 vol.1</ref> The infrastructure describes a process system's component parts and their interactions. The suprastructure considers the super system of which the process system is a part. (Suprastructure should not be confused with [[superstructure]], which is actually part of the infrastructure built for (external) support.) As one traverses the process architecture from one level of abstraction to the next, infrastructure becomes the basis for suprastructure and vice versa as one looks within a system or without.

Requirements for a process system are derived at every hierarchical level.<ref name=ss7arch/> Black-box requirements for a system come from its suprastructure. Customer requirements are black-box requirements near, if not at, the top of a process architecture's hierarchy. White-box requirements, such as engineering rules, programming [[Syntax (programming languages)|syntax]], etc., come from the process system's infrastructure.

Process systems are a dualistic phenomenon of change/no-change or form/transform and as such, are

well-suited to being modelledmodeled by the bipartite [[Petri Netsnets]] modellingmodeling system and in particular, process-class [[Dualisticdualistic Petri nets]] where processes can be simulated in real time and space and studied hierarchically.

==See also==

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* [[Complex system]] and [[Complexity]]

* [[Enterprise Information Security Architecture]]

* [[Enterprise information security architecture]]

* [[Flowchart]]

* [[GeneralInformation Systems Theoryarchitecture]]

* [[Method engineering]]

* [[Petri nets]], [[Dualistic Petri nets]]

* [[Petri net]]

* [[Process managementcalculus]]

* [[Process engineering]]

*

* [[Process management]]

* [[Process modeling]]

* [[Process theory]]

* [[System of systems]]

* [[Systems architecture]]

* [[Systems theory]]

* [[Workflow]]

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==References==

<references />

{{uncategorized|date=May 2009}}

[[Category:Quality]]

[[Category:Systems engineering]]

[[Category:Systems theory]]