Modeling Supply Chain Management and Electronic Commerce with ObjectProcess Methodology

1
UML 2.0 Proposal Sight Code, Inc.
Presentation to OMG - ADTF
September 13, 2001
Dov Dori Massachusetts Institute of
Technology and Sight Code, Inc.
2
Proposal Highlights

• Enhance UML by
• Providing a unifying diagram from which the core
  UML 1.X diagram types can be automatically
  derived
• Augmenting UML to be able to model systems in
  general, not just software systems
• Providing UML with a solid ontological basis
• Introduce recursive complexity management
  mechanisms

3
Systems and Software Engineering

• Software systems are systems.
• Software engineering is systems engineering.
• There is a set of common design principles that
  apply to all systems
• Institutions increasingly recognize this, e.g.,
• Engineering Systems Division at MIT
• The Institute for Complex Engineered Systems at
  Carnegie Mellon.
• UML can and should be the standard systems
  modeling paradigm.

4
The need for a unifying diagram

• The separation of UML modeling into nine diagram
  types may be good for separation of concerns, but
  UML must also have a single unifying view!
• The inability to model structure alongside
  behavior in the same diagram is a major obstacle
  in the way of straightforward, intuitive modeling
  of any system.

5
UML can and should be the standard language for
modeling systems, including, but not limited to
software systems.Our customers develop and
operate systems. We build the software to make
their systems work, or work better.The customer
must be able to take active part in the analysis
and design. To succeed, we must speak the same
language. Let us not lose this vision when
looking at the details, important as they are.
The need for a simpler model
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A unifying diagram not only possible, but also
mandatory

• When modeling, the system architect thinks
  concurrently about the objects and the processes
  that transform them.
• The need to concurrently maintain several models
  while developing the system inhibits free
  thought.
• There are N!/2 links between N diagram types,
  which need to be checked.
• For N9 this is 181,440 links!
• With a central model, this shrinks to 9.

7
Experimental Results

• 88 senior information engineering students
  Overall number of errors in the specification
  quality part of the experiment
• multiple model method 5.81 ? 2.95
• single model method 2.80 ? 2.11
• Reference Peleg, M. and Dori, D. The Model
  Multiplicity Problem Experimenting with
  Real-Time Specification Methods. IEEE Transaction
  on Software Engineering, 26(8), pp. 742-759,
  2000.

8
The Evolution of Programming Paradigms
2002-20xx UML 2.0
1986-2001 C, Java, XML, UML1.X
1961-85 Fortran, PL1, ADA, C.
1950-60 Machine Language, Assembler
What will it take to make this quantum leap?
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Proposed Ontology Things Objects and Processes
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States Situations an object can be at during its
lifecycle
11
Processes things that change object states
12
From input-output links to effect link
Input and output links
States suppressed
I/O links merged
13
Inheritance applies also to behavior and state
transitions
14
Structure, behavior, and state transitions can be
mixed and matched
15
Entities objects, processes, states
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A Robot example
Object
Robot
Engaging
Process
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Adding states
Robot
Object
engaged
disengaged
State
Process
State
Engaging
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A process changes object state
Input State
Output State
Output Link
Input Link
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A process can generate new objects
Result link
20
Robot
engaged
disengaged
Engaging
Workpiece
Robotic Arm
Aggregation
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Integrating system aspects
Robot
Behavior State transitions
engaged
disengaged
Structure aggregation
Engaging
Behavior Object generation and change
Workpiece
Robotic Arm
22
The Fundamental Structural Relations
23
Introducing processes into the object model
24
Adding enablers agent and instrument links
Instrument link
25
The complete top-level Object-Process Diagram
26
Deriving UML 1.X diagrams. Source
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Deriving UML 1.X diagramsStructure Diagram
28
Deriving UML 1.X diagramsUse Case Diagram
29
Complexity managementZooming into Transaction
Executing
30
Completing the diagram with surrounding objects
31
The System Map First two nodes
32
The ultimate OPD Merging the two OPDs
33
Out-Zooming
34
AND, XOR, and OR Logical Operators
The exit or entry point of links expresses AND or
XOR logical relations.
35
Boolean objects
Boolean objects (Approval is obtained?) provide
for controlling the flow of system dynamics.
36
The System Map
This is a directed acyclic graph in which nodes
are Object-Process Diagrams and edges point from
abstract to refined objects or processes.
37
Zooming into Account Checking
Account Checking now exposes the inner processes
and objects. Links are in accord with the more
abstract diagram.
38
Condition and agent condition links
Accessing requires that User be authorized and
Card be valid.
39
Proposed ontology object, transformation, and
process
An object is a thing that has the potential of
stable, unconditional physical or mental
existence. Transformation is a generalization of
consumption (destruction), state change (effect),
and generation (construction) of one or more
objects. A process is a pattern of transformation
that an object undergoes.
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Metamodel of entities and things
State and Thing are Entities. Object and Process
are Things. State is a situation of
Object. Object can be at State. Process changes
State.
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The Perseverance attribute of Thing can be static
or dynamic
42
Object is a Thing, the Perseverance of which is
static.
Process is a Thing, the Perseverance of which is
dynamic.
43
Procedural links summary
44
The four fundamental structural relations
45
Attributes and operations
46
Attributes of objects
47
Operations of objects
48
Attributes of processes
49
Operations of processes
50
Structure Hierarchy
51
Combining structure and behavior
52
Selective Semi Folding
53
Impact on OMG Architecture Current status
The problem Circularity
54
Proposed architecture UML 2 replaces MOF

• UML 2.0 is the instrument for
• reflective Metamodeling
• Standard Modeling and
• System Modeling