Title: Simulation-based approach for the dynamic definition of engineering processes

Authors: Rodrigo Martins Pagliares; Daniel Patrick Pereira; Celso Massaki Hirata

Addresses: Computer Science Department, Universidade Federal de Alfenas (UNIFAL-MG), Alfenas, Brazil ' Airbus Defense and Space, GmbH, Cyber Programmes Department, Willy-Messerschmitt-Straße 1, 82024 Taufkirchen, Germany ' Computer Science Division, Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (ITA), São José dos Campos, Brazil

Abstract: Engineering processes are improved during project execution to better direct team activities and satisfy project goals and constraints. Simulation can be used to support the decision-making of what process changes to accomplish, but it requires knowledge and effort in modelling, implementation, and experimentation. We propose a simulation-based approach to help the dynamic definition of engineering processes. Process engineers and project managers improve process after evaluating process alternatives using simulation. The approach employs automatic translation of engineering processes to simulate models that are parametrised with up-to-date data of process performance, systematically collected. The approach also prescribes activities that allow experimenting with the generated simulation models. We developed a tool prototype and used it in a case study to demonstrate the feasibility of the approach. The results indicate that the approach is feasible and addresses the problem of what process changes to perform during enactment in order to satisfy project goals.

Keywords: decision-making; project management; dynamic definition; process engineering; process modelling; process improvement; process enactment; software and systems process engineering meta-model specification; SPEM; simulation based approach; discrete event simulation; activity cycle diagrams; ACD; eXtensible activity cycle diagrams markup language; XACDML.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSPM.2023.139811

International Journal of Simulation and Process Modelling, 2023 Vol.21 No.1, pp.47 - 62

Received: 07 Aug 2023
Accepted: 28 Mar 2024

Published online: 05 Jul 2024 *

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