Applying Little-JIL to describe Process-Agent knowledge and support project planning in SoftPM: Research Sections

  • Authors:

  • Junchao Xiao;Leon J. Osterweil;Lei Zhang;Alexander Wise;Qing Wang

  • Affiliations:

  • Laboratory for Internet Software Technologies, Institute of Software, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, China and Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, ...;Department of Computer Science University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003-4610 USA;Laboratory for Internet Software Technologies, Institute of Software, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, China and Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, ...;Department of Computer Science University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003-4610 USA;Laboratory for Internet Software Technologies, Institute of Software, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, China

  • Venue:
  • Software Process: Improvement and Practice - Special Issue on Software Process Simulation
  • Year:
  • 2007

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Abstract

SoftPM is a toolkit that supports a process-based approach to software project management. It relies upon a software process modeling method based upon the idea of an Organization-Entity to define standard processes and model project processes. The Process-Agent is the core of this modeling method and is a well-defined unit whose role is to encapsulate an Organization-Entity's knowledge, skill etc. The Process-Agent's infrastructure comprises descriptive knowledge, process knowledge and an experience library. The process knowledge is represented by process steps, whose execution determines the behaviors of the Process-Agent. This causes Process-Agent knowledge to be precisely described and well organized. In this paper, Little-JIL, a well-known process modeling language, is used to define a Process-Agent's process knowledge. Benefits for process element knowledge representation arising from Little-JIL's simplicity, semantic richness, expressiveness, formal and precise yet graphical syntax etc., are described. The article also demonstrates how this knowledge can be useful in supporting project planning activities, such as time estimation. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.