Modelling Languages

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selected modelling languages

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methods and languages reviewed on this page

other material

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	BPEL BPEL4WS BPMN - *in preparation*
	ORDIT - Organizational Requirements Definition for Information Technology Systems
	SCIPIO
	UML - Unified Modelling Language
	VSM - Viable Systems Model

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BPEL BPEL4WS BPMN

veryard projects > sebpc > modelling > modelling languages > BPEL

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ORDIT

veryard projects > sebpc > modelling > modelling languages > ORDIT

ORDIT (Organizational Requirements Definition for Information Technology Systems) was developed as part of an ESPRIT project. ORDIT is based on the notions of role, responsibility and conversations, making it possible to specify, analyse and validate organizational and information systems supporting organizational change. The ORDIT architecture can be used to express, explore and reason about both the problem and the solution aspects in both the social and technical domains. From the simple building blocks and modelling language a set of more complex and structures models and prefabrications can be constructed and reasoned about. Alternative models are constructed, allowing the exploration of possible futures.

References

J.E. Dobson, A.J.C. Blyth, J. Chudge and R. Strens, "The ORDIT Approach to Organizational Requirements", in M. Jirotka and J. Goguen (eds), Requirements Engineering: Social and Technical Issues, (London: Academic Press, 1994) pp. 87-106

J.E. Dobson and M.R. Strens, "Organizational Requirements Definition for Information Technology Systems", in IEEE International Conference on Requirements Engineering, Colorado Springs, CO, IEEE, 1994.

J.E. Dobson and R. Strens, "Responsibility Modelling as a Technique for Requirements Definition", Intelligent Systems Engineering, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 20-26, 1994.

SCIPIO

veryard projects > sebpc > modelling > modelling languages > SCIPIO

The SCIPIO method identifies three ways of modelling a situation, to support strategic planning decisions as well as tactical design decisions.

	Business relationship modelling - provides a view of the network of collaborating agents and their obligations to one another. This generates diagrams similar to Catalysis collaboration diagrams, but at a business/organization level.
	Business rule modelling - provides a view of the rules, policies, regulations and other constraints imposed on the business. This includes structural constraints as well as process/sequence constraints, and gives us (among other things) a view on workflow, workload and work control.
	Business asset modelling - provides a static view of the resources of the organization. Assets include information assets (decomposed to entity types or object classes) and system assets. Among other things, this model provides a basis for knowledge management and data warehousing.

UML - Unified Modelling Language

veryard projects > sebpc > modelling > modelling languages > UML

UML describes the (formal) behaviour of a set of interacting objects or components. It is largely situated within the Computational Viewpoint of RM-ODP -- although there is a common perception (especially among people familiar with RM-ODP) that it fails to achieve a clean separation of concerns.

The extensions of UML do not significantly alter this. For example, a business modelling extension of UML aims to describe the (functional, computational, observable) behaviour of some business stuff.

UML expresses the kind of system/software requirements that can be tested by observing the behaviour of the system under test conditions. In theory (although not in practice) this may entail exercising every data permutation of every use case under normal circumstances.

There are all sorts of information system requirements that are not easily modelled in UML, and cannot be tested simply by observing the behaviour of the system under normal circumstances. For example, how do you express the privacy requirements on a customer database in UML? Security requirements, privacy requirement, safety-critical requirements -- these demand a different mode of requirements specification, and different approach for testing.

VSM - Viable Systems Model

veryard projects > sebpc > modelling > modelling languages > VSM

The Viable Systems Model (VSM) was developed by Stafford Beer, based on systems theory and cybernetics. It identifies and analyses the mechanisms that sustain the viability of complex systems, at several defined levels.

VSM is a normative model, identifying a number of elements that must be present and properly balanced and connected in a "healthy" system. During analysis, it can be used to identify the weaknesses of a given system. During design, it can be used to produce a complete and balanced system.

Viability
Notes on Balance
Algedonic Signals

> Cavendish Software paper on Viable Systems Model (pdf)
> Jon Walker guide to Viable Systems Model (html)
> Presentation by Raul Espejo (1997) Giving Requisite Variety to Strategic and Implementation Processes: Theory and Practice (html)

Books Stafford Beer, several including: Platform for Change (Wiley), Brain of the Firm (Wiley)
Raul Espejo & Roger Harriden (eds), The Viable Systems Model (Wiley)

Tools Download prototype modelling tool from Cavendish Software
Note new URL for Cavendish

veryard projects > sebpc > modelling > modelling languages

	Viability Notes on Balance Algedonic Signals
	> Cavendish Software paper on Viable Systems Model (pdf) > Jon Walker guide to Viable Systems Model (html) > Presentation by Raul Espejo (1997) Giving Requisite Variety to Strategic and Implementation Processes: Theory and Practice (html)
Books	Stafford Beer, several including: Platform for Change (Wiley), Brain of the Firm (Wiley) Raul Espejo & Roger Harriden (eds), The Viable Systems Model (Wiley)
Tools	Download prototype modelling tool from Cavendish Software Note new URL for Cavendish