1. Using and extending the SPEM specifications to represent agent oriented methodologies
Valeria Seidita
Valeria Seidita - 3 Dicembre 2007

2. Outline The need for a formal methodology description
SPEM for describing an agent oriented methodology
PASSI: an example
The needed extension
Discussion and conclusion
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3. Introduction
Adopting Situational Method Engineering for composing agent oriented design processes
Process Requirements Analysis
Method Fragments Selection
Method Fragments Assembly
It is fundamental the creation and the use of a method fragments repository
To be constructed following a specific process
Elements for constructing the repository
A well known set of existing methodology
The definition of method fragment to be used
A notation to describe a development process
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4. The Method Fragment Definition
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5. The Process Description
Three are the main elements of a design process
Activity
Process Role
Work Product
MMM Element
The SPEM (Software Process Engineering Metamodel) is based on the idea that “a software development process is a collaboration between abstract entity called process role that perform operation called activities on tangible entities called work product”.
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6. The Process Description
Each fragment refers to one (or more) MMM element
The MMM element is the constituent part of a Work Product
The MMM is not part of SPEM metamodel
It is the main element leading in modifying and extending SPEM diagram
When we construct a new design process we start from the creation of its meta model
Each part (one or more elements) of this meta model can be designed in one fragment (or more)
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7. The Process Description
The need for establishing which is the real action a process role performs on a MMM element when he is carrying out a specific activity
The set of actions:
Define – it is performed when a MMM element is introduced for the first time and its features are defined in a portion of process (hence in a fragment)
Relate – when a relationship is created (defined) among two or more MMM elements previously defined in another portion of process
Quote – a MMM element or a relationship is quoted in a specific work product
Valeria Seidita – Hammamet 12 december 2007

8. Modelling a methodology with SPEM
SPEM version 1.0
A top-down approach to describe who performs what and how
SPEM main process component element we use:
Process Component – a portion of process description that is internally consistent
Discipline – is a specialization of process component that partitions activities under common theme
Valeria Seidita – Hammamet 12 december 2007

9. Modelling a methodology with SPEM
SPEM main structural elements a process description is composed of:
WorkDefinition – the kind of operation describing the work performed in the process
Phase – it is a specialization of WorkDefiniton and contains some milestones
Activities – it describes a piece of work performed by one process role
Step – the atomic part of an activity
Process Role – defines the responsibility over a specific work product
Work Product – the artifact, produced, consumed or modified by a process
Far notare che the artefact, produced, consumed or modified by a process è in qualche modo legato a define relate e quote
Valeria Seidita – Hammamet 12 december 2007
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10. Valeria Seidita – Hammamet 12 december 2007
Process Component
Discipline
is a kind of
contains
Phases
is composed of
Activities
Per la descrizione di una porzione di processo o di un processo intero partiamo dalle discipline del process component
Steps
Process Role
is performed by
is composed of
Valeria Seidita – Hammamet 12 december 2007
Valeria Seidita - 3 Dicembre 2007

11. Valeria Seidita – Hammamet 12 december 2007
SPEM Diagram
The most important one for our purposes are:
Activity Diagram – it allows describing the sequencing of activities with the input and output work products and separating the responsibility of each process role through swimlanes.
Work Product Dependency Diagram – it allows to represent the dependencies among all the work product of design process.
Valeria Seidita – Hammamet 12 december 2007

12. Valeria Seidita – Hammamet 12 december 2007
SPEM Diagram
Other diagrams we use:
Package diagram – allowing the representation of process component and discipline and its related process roles and workproducts
Use Case diagram – for representing the relationships (for each discipline) among process roles and activities.
Three different levels of details for activity diagrams:
Process Component  Phase and Workproducts
Phase  WorkDefinitions and UML Diagrams\Documents
WorkDefioniton  ProcessRoles, Activity and UMLDiagr./Doc.
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13. Valeria Seidita – Hammamet 12 december 2007
An Example: PASSI
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14. Valeria Seidita – Hammamet 12 december 2007
An Example: PASSI
PASSI includes six disciplines
Direct correspondence between the disciplines and the PASSI phases
Valeria Seidita – Hammamet 12 december 2007

15. Valeria Seidita – Hammamet 12 december 2007
An Example: PASSI
Each phase produces a WorkProduct
Each phase is composed of one or more sub-phases that we represented as WorkDefinitions
A sub-phase is responsible for designing or refining one or more artefacts that are part of the corresponding model
Each phase produces a document that is usually composed aggregating the UML models and work
products produced during the related activities. Each phase is composed of one or more sub-phases
each one responsible for designing or refining one or more artefacts that are part of the
corresponding model (for instance the System Requirements model includes an agent identification
diagram that is a kind of UML use case diagrams but also some text documents like a glossary and
the system use scenarios).
The details of each phase and its related sub-phases wil
Valeria Seidita – Hammamet 12 december 2007
Valeria Seidita - 3 Dicembre 2007

16. An Example: PASSI
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17. Valeria Seidita – Hammamet 12 december 2007
An Example: PASSI
Input and output WorkProducts
Responsibilities of each Process Roles
Each Activity produces as results a WorkProduct where one (or more) MMM element is defined/quoted/relat ed
Parte costituente di un work product è l’elemento del MMM, dell’intero processo, che in esso viene definito o rifinito. Ogni frammento fa riferimento ad un particolare elemento del MMM del processo; in altre parole qualunque processo di progettazione agent oriented presente in letteratura è sotteso da un ben preciso meta modello, ogni parte dell’intero processo, ogni componente o attività, è devoted alla progettazione di uno o più elementi di questo meta modello. Il risultato di una attività di un processo è un work product nel quale quindi uno o più elementi del meta modello vengono progettati.
Valeria Seidita – Hammamet 12 december 2007
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18. Valeria Seidita – Hammamet 12 december 2007
The need for extension
Valeria Seidita – Hammamet 12 december 2007

19. Conclusion
SPEM is well suited for the description of an agent oriented methodology
It provides a set of elements allowing a top- down decomposition of a methodology
The proposed decomposition allows an easy identification/extraction of method fragments
However we found some difficulties in the application and discrimination of the concepts of WorkDefinition, Phase and Activity; some simplifications was required
SPEM si adatta bene alla descrizione di una metodologia ad agenti, esso fornisce una serie di elementi che permettono in maniera semplice di procedere ad una descrizione e scomposizione di una metodologia seguendo un approccio top-down; tuttavia abbiamo trovato difficoltà nella applicazione dei concetti di workdefinition phase e activity, per cui abbiamo dovuto in certo senso semplificare il meta modello in questo modo:
Valeria Seidita
Valeria Seidita - 3 Dicembre 2007

20. Thanks for your attention
Valeria Seidita