Process-centred software engineering environments (PSEE) [Garg96] are acknowledged tools to help in planning, managing and executing today’s software projects. Their support is mainly focused on the coordination of the different activities within a project following a defined development process, i.e. focused on project coordination. That is why the support for the individual participating agent in performing tasks (which have been assigned to him) is mainly restricted to provide access to input products for a task and to tools to create defined output products.
Main tasks for a software project are the creation of a project plan and the enactment of this project plan in order to deliver certain software products. Planning and enactment tasks require access to multiple information related to the current project context. If no direct access can be supported, e.g., in the form of defined input products for a task, agents are confronted with issues to identify and find suitable information. This information can be distributed, heterogeneous, unstable (i.e. being prone to changes), hard to find, and the retrieval task can disturb the current workflow as it is commonly not a defined part of the development workflow. Even if suitable information does exist agents are not always aware of the existence and where to find it. The big issue of reusing experience [Basili91] in form of documented descriptions becomes obsolete if agents do not know that they exist and how to integrate it.
Another main stream which has been adopted from the field of artificial intelligence to the field of software development is knowledge management (KM) [Wiig93]. Different concepts in software development use its foundations to build knowledge bases like organisational memories (OM) [Ungson91], experience factories (EF) with experience bases (EB) [Basili94], case-based reasoning systems (CBR) [Althoff98] and derive concepts for learning software organisations (LSO). They encompass mechanisms which help to capture and make information and knowledge accessible and (re)usable. [...]
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- CHAPTER 1
- Introduction
- 1.1 Motivation
- 1.2 Aims and scope of this work
- 1.3 Structure of the document
- 1.4 Recommended background
- CHAPTER 2
- Information needs within software projects
- 2.1 The nature of information needs
- 2.2 Scenarios with inherent information needs
- 2.3 Problems with required information
- 2.4 Changing the common process of information retrieval
- 2.4.1 The integration of information retrieval into workflows
- 2.4.2 Information needs defined as workflow
- 2.5 Requirements for a support concept
- CHAPTER 3
- MILOS as a process-centred SEE
- 3.1 Purpose of MILOS
- 3.2 MILOS system components
- 3.2.1 Process modelling
- 3.2.2 Project planning
- 3.2.3 Project enactment
- CHAPTER 4
- A concept for context-specific knowledge delivery within a PSEE
- 4.1 A representation for information needs
- 4.1.1 Information needs as objects
- 4.1.2 Information sources as objects
- 4.2 Project planning and enactment based on enriched process models
- 4.3 A non-invasive but active knowledge delivery
- 4.3.1 Workflow-integrated support
- 4.3.2 Non-invasive but active support
- 4.3.3 A context-specific, and structured set of INOS
- 4.3.4 The execution of an INO
- 4.3.5 Updating strategies related to INOS
- 4.3.6 Comprehensive knowledge delivery support
- 4.4 A learning concept for information need specifications
- 4.4.1 Posting of information needs as questions
- 4.4.2 Rating of retrieved information
- 4.4.3 Building and refining an attribute concept
- 4.5 Open concept issues
- 4.6 Concept overview
- CHAPTER 5
- The realization of context-specific knowledge delivery within MILOS
- 5.1 Persistent modelling of INOS and ISOS
- 5.1.1 The INO Manager
- 5.1.2 The ISO Manager
- 5.2 How to use persistent INOs for project planning and workflow enactment
- 5.2.1 The information assistant
- 5.3 Learning concepts within MILOS for INO refinement
- 5.4 The extended MILOS system architecture
- 5.5 Comments on the current implementation
- 5.5.1 Current limitations of the implementation
- 5.5.2 MILOS specific concept extensions
- CHAPTER 6
- Example scenario for knowledge delivery support
- 6.1 Support within an example project
- CHAPTER 7
- Related work
- 7.1 The KnowMore WFMS prototype
- 7.2 Support of business processes by an OM
- 7.3 Support for design processes using CBR
- CHAPTER 8
- Summary
- 8.1 Summary
- 8.2 Outlook
- CHAPTER 9
- References
- APPENDIX 1
- System documentation
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This diploma thesis aims to extend a process-centred software engineering environment (PSEE) called MILOS by integrating a concept for context-specific knowledge delivery. The goal is to enhance the support for individual agents within software projects by providing relevant information when and where it is needed, ultimately improving project efficiency and effectiveness.
- Information needs within software projects
- Context-specific knowledge delivery
- Process-centred software engineering environments
- Workflow integration
- Learning concepts for information need specifications
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Chapter 1: Introduction This chapter introduces the motivation behind the thesis, outlining the challenges faced by software project agents in accessing and retrieving relevant information. It describes the aims and scope of the work, focusing on extending a PSEE to address these information needs. The chapter concludes by explaining the structure of the document.
- Chapter 2: Information needs within software projects This chapter delves into the nature of information needs in software projects, exploring scenarios where such needs arise and the problems associated with retrieving necessary information. It examines the potential to integrate information retrieval into project workflows and proposes a new approach to defining information needs as workflows themselves. The chapter concludes by outlining the requirements for a support concept that addresses these issues.
- Chapter 3: MILOS as a process-centred SEE This chapter introduces MILOS, a PSEE that serves as the foundation for the proposed extension. It describes the purpose of MILOS and its key system components, including process modelling, project planning, and project enactment. This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of MILOS's functionalities and architecture.
- Chapter 4: A concept for context-specific knowledge delivery within a PSEE This chapter presents the core concept of the thesis. It introduces a representation for information needs and information sources as objects, enabling the development of a non-invasive, active knowledge delivery mechanism. The chapter outlines the concept's integration into project planning and workflow enactment, as well as the development of a learning concept for refining information need specifications.
- Chapter 5: The realization of context-specific knowledge delivery within MILOS This chapter focuses on implementing the concept within MILOS. It describes the persistent modelling of information needs and sources, the development of an information assistant, and the integration of learning concepts for refining information need specifications. The chapter also presents the extended MILOS system architecture and comments on the current implementation.
- Chapter 6: Example scenario for knowledge delivery support This chapter illustrates the practical application of the concept using an example project. It demonstrates how the proposed system can provide support for specific tasks and challenges encountered within a project context.
- Chapter 7: Related work This chapter examines existing research on related topics, including approaches to knowledge delivery within workflow management systems, support for business processes using ontology management, and the use of case-based reasoning for design process support. This chapter provides a contextual understanding of the proposed work and its contribution to the field.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This diploma thesis focuses on the development of a context-specific knowledge delivery system within a process-centred software engineering environment (PSEE). The work explores information needs in software projects, workflow integration, and the creation of a non-invasive, active knowledge delivery mechanism. The thesis also includes a learning concept for refining information need specifications and the implementation of the system within the existing MILOS environment.
- Quote paper
- Arne Könnecker (Author), 2000, Extending a process-centred SEE by context-specific knowlegde delivery, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/52493
