Functional software architecture: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 02:03, 29 May 2007

Revision as of 22:27, 30 May 2007

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The development of a Functional Software Architecture can be done by a number of (combined) methods and techniques. Filling in the “gap” between the enterprise engineers and software engineers through the use of different combinations of methods and techniques will be the main objective. However, this objective can only be reached when combined methods result in clear and rich functional software architectures that are developed and used by both parties.

Optimizing the internal and external business processes through process reengineering is one of the main objectives an enterprise can have in times of high external pressure. A [[business process]] involves value creating activities with certain inputs and outputs, which are interconnected and thereby jointly contribute to the final outcome (product or service) of the process. Process reengineering covers a variety of perspectives of how to change the organization. It is concerned with the redesign of strategic, value adding processes, systems, policies and organizational structures to optimize the processes of an organization.<ref>Zakarian & Kusiak; Process analysis and reengineering: DepartementDepartment of Industrial Engineering, University of Iowa, USA, Computers & Industrial Engineering 41, 135–150</ref>

==Modeling the business==

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*Computer Integrated Manufacturing Open Systems Architecture (CIMOSA) methodology<ref>Beekman, (1989); European Committee for Standardization, ECN TC310 WG1, 1994</ref>

*Integrated DEFinition (IDEF) methodology<ref>U.S. Airforce (1981); ICAM architecture part 1, Ohio, Air Force Materials Laboratory, Wright-Patterson</ref>

*Petri Nets<ref>Peterson J.L. (1981); Petri net theory and the modellingmodeling of systems, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice Hall.</ref>

*Unified Modeling Language (UML) or Unified Enterprise Modeling Language (UEML)<ref># Marshall, C. (2000); Enterprise Modelling with UML, ISBN 0-201-43313-3, Addison-Wesley, MA.</ref><ref>Vernadat F.B.; A vision for future work of the task force (IFAC-IFIP).</ref>

*Enterprise Function Diagrams (EFD)

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===Petri Nets===

[[Petri Net]]s are known tools to model manufacturing systems<ref>Silva, M. and Valette, R. (1989); Petri nets and Flexible manufacturing. Lecture Notes on Computer Science, 424, 374–417.</ref>. They are highly expressive and provide good formalisms for the modellingmodeling of [[concurrent system]]s. The most advantageous properties are that of simple representation of states, concurrent system transitions and capabilities to model the duration of transitions.

Petri Nets therefore can be used to model certain business processes with corresponding state and transitions or activities with in and outputs. Moreover, Petri Nets can be used to model different software systems and transitions between these systems. In this way programmers use it as a schematic coding reference.