Business & Enterprise Architecture
Project Overview
Here you will find a number of projects we have realized in the fields of Business & Enterprise Architecture. Use the ‘+’-sign to see additional information.
?
Start date: 01.05.2017
?
Funded by: University of Augsburg
?
Local head of project: Bernhard Bauer
?
Local scientists:
Christian Saad
?
?
Abstract
In this project model-based analysis is utilized to localize weaknesses of the current architecture and support the planning and development of future service. Therefore the communication dependencies between the services are considered as well as the application systems with their interfaces. Therefore static descriptions of the architecture are extended with information from a monitoring tool about the dynamic behavior of the services (e.g. data volume and usage frequency). For the evaluation of the established architectural model, several analyses will be implemented. Performance analyses highlight parts of the architecture with a high usage. The problem-specific creation of views enables a detailed consideration of them by an architect. Using a impact analysis the effect of changes can be simulated within the model. Additional metrics to evaluate the quality of microservices will be developed. Hot spots and demands for actions can be identified by applying coloring mechanisms and the dynamic creation of architectural parts The project is carried out in cooperation with the BMW AG.
?
Start date: 01.10.2013
?
Funded by: University of?Augsburg
?
Local head of project: Bernhard Bauer
?
Local Scientists:
Christian Saad
?
?
Abstract
Architecture analyses support the enterprise architecture in managing the complexity. Problem specific parts of the architecture can be provided with the creation of views. Therefore we develop concepts to define custom viewpoints and generate the respective architectural views. Based on a selection of element and dependency types the respective model is created. Additionally support maps can be used to visualize the relations between applications, business processes, business objects or organization units. This is done using a matrix representation in order to visualize the dependencies between the elements in an easy readable way. In this project we develop a concept to generate support maps from existing ArchiMate models. ArchiMate is a graphical modeling language for Enterprise Architectures. Die assignment of model elements to the rows, columns and cells of the matrix has to be done flexible according to the needs of the architect. The regarded dependencies between the elements should also be freely selectable. Analyses are supporting the architect in this task. Further possibilities to evaluate the architecture are the calculation of change effects and performance metrics. These concepts are realized for the tool Innovator, a product of the MID GmbH and while using the Model Analysis Framework (MAF).
Start date: 01.09.2012
?
Funded by: University of?Augsburg
?
Local head of project:? Melanie Langermeier
?
?
Abstract
Enterprise Architecture Management (EAM) is one mean in order to deal with the increasing complexity of todays IT landscapes. Thereby architectural models are used to describe the business processes, the used applications, the required infrastructure as well as the dependencies between them. The creation of those models is expensive, since the whole organization and therewith a large amount of data has to be considered. Thus, it is important to make use of these models and reuse them for architecture work. The models are a solid foundation for various kinds of analyses that support the decision making while optimizing the architecture. Analyses can determine the effects of the shut down of an application or the effects of an application failure. It is also possible to quantify the model using measurements like the IT coverage of business processes or the workload of a server. The generation of views on an architectural model, i.e. the focus on a specific aspect of the model, is also the result of an analysis. An example is the limitation of the model to the processes and applications of a specific organization unit. Architectural models can also be used for planning purposes. Starting from the model of the current architecture of the organization a target architectural model is developed. The goal is then to implement the target architecture throughout the organization. The development of a target architecture can be supported by identifying different planning options and evaluating project proposals.
In this project we want to define a method for architecture optimization and develop the required techniques for the specification and execution of analyses. The method encompasses the identification and evaluation of possible change scenarios as well as the evaluation of project proposals regarding consistency of changes and goal fulfillment. The adoption of these methods is supported by several analyses. These are for example a change impact analyses, the measurement of metrics or the scoping of the architectural model according to different aspects. We want to support the specification and execution of the analyses through the development of an analysis language. Thereby we focus on reuse and generic definition of the analysis. Using a generic meta model as foundation we are able to abstract from the great variety of used meta models in the EA domain. The execution of the analyses is done using Semantic Web Technologies and the?Model Analysis Framework (MAF).
Start date: 01.01.2005
?
Funded by: University of Augsburg
?
Local head of project:?Dr. Stephan Roser
?
Local scientists:? Bernhard Bauer
?
?
Abstract
?
evoIM:
Model-driven Engineering suffers from the changes of meta-models, e.g. changing standards result in adapting the model transformations and models. But changes of already specified model transformations are very error prone. Thus in this project a formalism was developed how model-transformations specified in QVT can automatically be adapted after changes of the meta-models. For more information have a look at the?Ph.D. thesis of Stephan Roser.
?
OntMT:
Today, model-driven development is getting more sophisticated and is used for modeling enterprises and developing application systems. To develop more and more complex systems efficiently, the trend is to intelligent infrastructure services. Since current interoperability solutions operate essentially at a syntactical level, technologies have to be developed enabling interoperability based on middleware, and development platforms have to be enriched with machine-understandable semantics. The 'Ontology-based Model Transformation’ project will contribute to these challenges by lifting syntactical metamodel description into ontologies.
Start date: 01.01.2012
?
Funded by: University of?Augsburg
?
Local head of project:?Philipp Diefenthaler
?
?
Abstract
Nowadays, business and information technology (IT) of an enterprise need to co-evolve with an increasing pace in order to stay competitive. New markets and competitor shifts force enterprises to react quickly to changes and realize adequate support through the IT. However, the application landscapes of enterprises are heterogeneous, technically outdated and hardly cope with the desired speed of change of the business.
Enterprise architecture management and its respective planning discipline provides a holistic approach for improving the accompanied change of business and IT in favor for both domains. Through the creation of a model of the current enterprise architecture, current architecture for short, a common understanding of the interrelationships between stakeholders of the business and IT domain and their respective domain artifacts is established. Different target enterprise architectures, target architecture for short, allow to develop different possible future states of the enterprise and its business and IT. Afterwards, it is possible to decide for one of the different transformation paths to realize the target architecture in a purposeful way, as those changes are prone to resource bottlenecks. Many approaches provide solutions for (meta-)modeling and methodological aspects. However, decision support of enterprise architects by sophisticated means from decision theory, automatic model exploration and ranking mechanisms is still scarce.
Therefore, the thesis at hand develops an interactive approach for the generation of transformation paths to assist enterprise architects in their activities through a combination of a multi-criteria decision making technique, a graph formalism based automated planner and a formalization of the possible changes. We call the latter transformation actions. The approach is based on three pillars that we will briefly present in the following.
Firstly, we introduce the necessary underlying formalisms and model fragments to allow an automated planner to discover possible future target architectures. Furthermore, we present requirements that are to be considered by our approach and a mechanism to abstract from modeled situations to a common pattern. We call the latter transformation patterns. Secondly, we present our approach for decision support in target architecture selection in the first phase of the planning effort. Additionally, we provide the transformation actions and means to rank them that allow an enterprise architect to interactively select them. Thirdly, we introduce the approach for the actual decision upon the sequence in which the changes are to be realized in the second phase. We allow for a reuse of results from our former phase. Besides, we decouple the phases by just postulating necessary information to start the second phase without limiting the approach for the first phase to ours. Furthermore, we present the transformation actions and how the foundations for the creation of a roadmap are set to allow for a decision upon changes and their enactment.
Start date: 01.09.2010
?
Funded by: University of?Augsburg
?
Local head of project:
Thomas Eisenbarth
?
Local scientists:
Philipp Diefenthaler
?
?
Abstract
?
SEAM:
SEAM is a research project of the Softplant GmbH and the University of Augsburg. It is supported by the research and development programme (FuE) "Informations- und Kommunikationstechnik" of the Free State of Bavaria.
Within the SEAM project Semantic Web Technologies are applied to the field of Enterprise Architecture Management (EAM) in order to formally describe architecture models, integrate existing data sources and thus allow for supporting the planning of changes of IT-landscapes in an automated manner.
In the context of SEAM, tools for EAM will be developed that are tailored to the specific needs of individual enterprises. They enable the use functional- and industry-specific terms to achieve a better user acceptance and the use of current data as a basis of plannings and decisions. Planning and preparation of change projects under consideration of all dependencies are supported by machines. Thus, complex projects like legacy system decommissioning can be mastered more easily.
?
?
SPM:
In cooperation with Audi AG, Ingolstadt, a possibility to embed business process models for an existing EA-environment using semantic technologies has been developed.
Start date: 01.09.2009
?
Funded by: University ofAugsburg
?
Local head of project:?Peter Rosina
?
?
Abstract
In order to face today’s challenges in product development, like product complexity, variability and a shortening of development cycles, for instance, in the automotive domain, the Product Development Process (PDP) tends to entail more and more virtual tasks instead of physical, conventional ones, for example, implemented by Computer Aided x (CAx) technologies. The here introduced approach promotes this transformation by supporting the appropriate stakeholders in acquiring, formalizing, analyzing, assessing, comparing and hence selecting the most suitable methods, like physical and virtual design methods or CAx methods, that are utilized to execute these tasks. The introduced methodology demonstrates the acquisition and integration of relevant domain and business knowledge from diverse enterprise knowledge sources using Semantic Web Technologies (SWTs) which facilitates the management and execution of this knowledge, while considering customized individual views and vocabularies, and, as a result, enables a higher flexibility regarding and faster reaction to the ever-changing PDP by supporting stakeholders in their strategical and operational decisions. The separation of knowledge types by applying SWTs, like ontologies, rules and queries, enables the appropriate roles to manage this knowledge independently and in their own way, because (conceptual) domain knowledge, (operational) business rules and an implemented data model have different lifecycles, scopes and owners. Furthermore, this particular domain and business knowledge features interdependencies with remaining enterprise knowledge, including business processes, organizational aspects and the IT architecture, which is usually modeled in an Enterprise Architecture (EA). Therefore, we showcase the implementation and integration of a method meta model, method contexts, like metrics and product knowledge, and an EA using SWTs to promote the transparency, interchange, interconnection, synchronization, sharing, reusability, re-deployment, up-to-dateness and maintenance of this particular knowledge and consequently analyses and assessments based on it. Thus, the use of SWTs increase the flexibility, quality and efficiency of the development process, allowing enterprises to meet the increasing market demand of product diversification, increasing functional complexity and regulatory requirements, for instance, due to an improved integration of virtual development.
Start date: 01.04.2007
?
End date: 01.04.2011
?
Funded by: DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft)
?
Local head of project: Florian Lautenbacher
?
Local scientists:
Prof. Dr. Hans Ulrich Buhl
Thomas Eisenbarth
Bernhard Bauer
?
?
Abstract
Todays business process models can only be adjusted to present markets with a sizeably amount of resources and often a considerable delay. Thereby reference models can offer an important support in designing. But if these are more complex their generation, further development and implementation gets expensive and voluminous. Therefore, the transformation of emergent web technologies - web services and semantic concepts - needs to be analysed for the dynamic and semantic-based building of reference models to make them more flexible and dynamic. The aim is the deployment of a new modelling, analysis and synthesis method, which is based on a holistic, architectural model, i.e. reference model processes and services are integrated and this makes it possible to create and use reference models (semi-)automated by transferring the idea of an emergent web technology. An evaluation of the research results will be made in the usage sphere asset management service (consumer business) of financial service providers, in which a case study will be developed.
Start date: 01.05.2006
?
Funded by: University of Augsburg
?
Local head of project: Bernhard Bauer
?
Local scientists:
Stephan Roser
Florian Lautenbacher
?
?
Abstract
The?SOA Modeling Language (SoaML)?is a standardization approach of the Object Management Group (OMG) for modeling a service-oriented architecture.
SoaML is the answer to the Call for Proposals called "UML-Profile and Metamodel for Services" (UPMS). The last version of the submission can be found?here.
Agile Prozesse im ERP-Umfeld: Modellierung, Simulation und Ausführung agiler Prozesse / Java Workflow Tooling / Aspektorientierte Modellierung
Start date: 01.01.2006
?
Funded by: High-Tech-Offensive Zukunft Bayern
?
Local head of project:? Prof. Dr. Bernhard Bauer
?
Local scientists:
Stephan Roser
Florian Lautenbacher
?
?
Abstract
?
AgilPro:
The aim of this project was the development of a methodology and system for the specification, simulation, deployment and execution of agile business processes and their embedding in existing or proprietary ERP-systems.
Therefore, a slim and innovative process integration framework has been designed to build a bridge between data-oriented ERP-systems and function-oriented process engines. In order to achieve this aim a modelling enviroment (AgilPro LiMo) has been implemented in which the models can be created and maintained from different view points such as business view, technical view, etc. - both, graphical and via Domain-Specific-Languages (DSL). Additionally, using the AgilPro Simulator the processes can be previewed on a desktop machine. The additional workflow codegeneration allows to transform the modelled process into executable formats such as BPEL4WS.
During this project several promising case studies have been made to evaluate the results.
Please find more information about AgilPro?here.
AgilPro - agile processes in the ERP-enviroment (German publication)
?
AOM:
As part of the Eclipse project?Java Workflow Tooling?we developed an approach to extend existing?EMF-based models with aspects. This is one example for our research in the area aspect-oriented modeling.
?
JWT:
The Eclipse Java Workflow Tooling (JWT) project is an open-source subproject under the Eclipse Technology Project.
For more information please visit the project web site under?www.eclipse.org/jwt.
?
?
From Business Processes to Web Services / MDA-based realisation of cross-organisational business processes / Workflow - Codegeneration framework
Start date: 01.01.2004
?
Funded by: University of?Augsburg
?
Local head of project:? Prof. Dr. Bernhard Bauer
?
Local scientists:
Dipl.-Inf. Stephan Roser
Dipl.-Inf. Florian Lautenbacher
?
?
Abstract
?
BP2WS:
BP2WS combines with Model Driven Architecture (MDA) and Web Services two promising approaches, which are expected to lower the risk of investment in software projects for business applications. An integrated, MDA-based methodology is developed, comprising all steps from requirements engineering and business-process modelling to a service-oriented implementation. The methodology is enhanced with modelling conventions und transformation rules, which are specific to MDA's levels of abstraction. Beside implementation of the results, usage is shown by examples and case studies.
?
MDA-based CBPs:
To facilitate enterprises to keep up with the constant change in business relationships, it is crucial to develop adaptive business systems and value chains. In order to achieve this, methodologies, methods, and infrastructures to support end-to-end modeling of cross-organizational business processes are required, allowing changes to business processes being defined at the business level and providing well-defined (and possibly largely automated) model transformations and refinements down to the level of information and communication technology systems. This project specifies model transformations for a model-based architecture enabling the derivation of service-orienten IT models from cross-organisational business process descriptions. The focus is on a differnatiated consideration of the diverse representations of business processes in modeling languages like ARIS (architecture of integrated inforamtion systems) or BPDM (business process definition metamodel). A prototype for an automated transformation form ARIS to BPDM is implemented.
?
Wf-Codegen:
The Workflow-Codegeneration Framework supports human modeler in the transformation between graph-based modeling languages (as e.g.?JWT?or?BPMN) in block-based execution languages (e.g. as parts of?BPEL).
Wf-Codegen includes adapters for different modeling tool suites such as?AgilPro?or IBM Rational Software Modeler (RSM), but it can easily be adapted to other modeling tools, too.
Wf-Codegen is a?SourceForge?- project and has been published at?DSM 2007.
Business Requirements Management 3.0
?
Start date: 01.08.2008
?
End date: 01.08.2011
?
Funded by: FuE-Programm"Informations- und Kommunikationstechnik"des Freistaates Bayern
?
Local head of project:? Prof. Dr. Bernhard Bauer
?
Local scientists:
Wolf Fischer
Stefan Fenn
Christian Saad
?
Cooperation: Companio AG, Neu Ulm
?
?
Abstract
Considering the developments in the area of computer science, the current management of business requirements cannot be regarded as state-of-the-art. Using different systems that are not integrated properly to develop products, services and software prevents effective and efficient information transport and therefore the implementation of requirements in products, services and IT-systems. Estimates suggest that today 70% to 90 % of the costs of product improvements are caused by the communication and the structuring of requirements.
Therefore the goal of this project is to develop a new, collaborative and web-based Business Requirements Management System (BRMS) that supports the whole requirements life cycle to the point of their realization in products, services and software and the integration in product-, change-, configuration-, quality-, process- and risk management.The focus here is particularly placed on the context of the requirements.
To accomplish this, BRM 3.0 uses techniques and methods that allow the dynamic allocation of arbitrary relevant contexts, the efficient identification of relevant semantic relationships between data in the reference systems, the graphical declaration of contexts as well as user-centric resolution of relevant associations (reasoning).
MID modeling methodology (M?) for service-oriented architectures
Start date: 01.08.2008
?
Funded by: University of?Augsburg
?
Local head of project:? Prof. Dr. Bernhard Bauer
?
Local scientists:
Florian Lautenbacher
Wolf Fischer
?
?
Abstract
M3SOA describes a modeling methodology (developed together with?MID) for a service-oriented architecture. Having four abstraction levels this methodology allows to refine business services to BPEL code or WSDL files.
See also the?M3SOA website?of MID.
Start date: 01.01.2010
?
Funded by: University of Augsburg
?
Local head of project:?Benjamin Honke
?
?
Abstract
Model-driven technologies influence today’s software engineering more and more. During the last decade, a multitude of so-called meta models (or modeling languages) were developed to lift the level of abstraction from textual programming languages to the more conceptual level of models, which can be processed (e.g., by using model transformation, model validation, or simulation), and from which code can be generated automatically. Beside many benefits, which arose using this new technology, other drawbacks came up. Especially, the multitude of domain-specific and complex meta models, the relationship between different meta models, and unfamiliar design principles, still hamper effective application of model-driven technologies. This situation, for example, becomes obvious in automotive industry, where meta models, such as AUTOSAR, EAST-ADL, or TADL, were developed to enable the effective design of different concerns in automotive software development. Although, a lot of documentation in textual form is available, there is a gap between informal documentation and formal meta-model specification. Especially, matching complex meta models with the overwhelming number of documentation to apply meta models correctly proves sometimes difficult and causes a gap between research and the application of new technologies in real industrial development projects.
Therefore, the basic idea behind this thesis is to provide an integrated process model, which enables the execution and enactment of model-driven development processes in form of an effective guidance system. On the one hand, this requires the extension of conventional control-flow semantics of today’s software development processes, which are modeled for management and simple documentation purposes only. On the other hand, our approach integrates more detailed information about guidelines, roles, or work products, which is normally distributed across different informal documents. We put all these information into a comprehensive and computer-interpretable model, which is afterwards interpreted to guide developers’ work automatically. Based on this, the process model not only allows us to determine a sequence of actions, which have to be executed to produce particular output, but it also enables us to generate new artifacts, such as activity-specific editors to support respective development activities. This works as follows:
While generated editors can exactly provide developers with needed capabilities, using an all-purpose standard editor allows for the application of all capabilities at any time of the development process. Because of the increasing number of large meta models or domain-specific languages, this could be a confusing task for most of the time. Therefore, our approach proposes the generation editors, that restrict the capabilities and the available set of design elements, i.e., language elements of a meta model, to the situational needs of a respective development activity only.
In addition, the process model links each development activity with an individual set of computer-interpretable guidelines, which are relevant for the activity only, in contrast to the global set of “constraints” or guidelines as used in standard editors. These guidelines are evaluated in the context of a specific development activity and provide developers with situational guidance information.
As the process model is interpreted and monitored all the time, we are enabled to log all modeling actions. These logs are either used to improve the process afterwards in doing conventional reviews, or to analyze these logs to derive traceability information at process execution time, and to identify potential inconsistencies between work products. This information is used to decide on the repetition of individual development activities to correct the inconsistencies.
Finally, as it proves difficult to design complex process models for each project situation from scratch, we combined the general approach with process line engineering techniques to enable reuse of already available information and to combine these information with additional computer-interpretable design artifacts. Therefore, a so-called method repository is used to store all interpretable development activities as variants for variation points designed in a reference process, which can be compared with the reference product (aka. platform) as used in product line engineering. The final process is generated by matching project-specific requirements with available variants and combining these variants with relevant variation points of the reference process.