Redesign Support Framework for Complex Technical Processes

Els processos industrials requereixen avaluacions periòdiques per a verificar la seva correcta operació en termes tècnics i econòmics. Aquestes avaluacions són necessàries a causa de els canvis en els mercats i en la legislació ambiental i de seguretat. Per a satisfer aquestes demandes és necessari investigar les alternatives dels processos que permetin l'ús òptim dels recursos existents amb la mínima inversió econòmica possible. Aquesta tasca es coneix com redisseny, que és un procediment per a determinar possibles canvis en un procés existent per a millorar-lo pel en alguna mètrica, tal com econòmica, ambiental, de seguretat, etc. En aquesta tesi es proposa un marc d'ajuda al redisseny per a processos tècnics. Aquest marc fa ús d'una representació jeràrquica de models múltiples del procés que es re dissenyarà en conjunció amb un motor que raonament basat en casos per a ajudar a decidir quins elements del procés han de ser modificats. El marc consisteix en quatre etapes principals: adquisició de la descripció del disseny, identificació de candidats, generació d'alternatives, i adaptació i avaluació d'alternatives.El procés original es modela jeràrquicament emprant conceptes de mitjans-fins i parts-tot. Així el coneixement sobre el comportament, l'estructura, la funció i l'objectiu de cadascuna de les parts del procés es genera i s'emmagatzema automàticament. Donat les noves especificacions o requisits que el procés ha de satisfer, el sistema troba les parts del procés que ha de ser redissenyades. S'utilitza una llibreria de casos per a obtenir seccions alternatives del procés que es puguin adaptar per a substituir parts del procés original. Per tant, el marc proposat permet modelar el procés, identificar els components de procés viables a redissenyar, obtenir components alternatius i finalment adaptar aquests components alternatius en el procés original. Aquest procediment es pot veure com activitat d'enginyeria inversa on es generen models abstractes en diversos nivells a partir d'una descripció detallada d'un procés existent per a reduir la seva complexitat. El marc ha estat implementat i provat en el domini d'Enginyeria Química.Los procesos industriales requieren evaluaciones periódicas para verificar su correcta operación en términos técnicos y económicos. Estas evaluaciones son necesarias debido a los cambios en los mercados y en la legislación ambiental y de seguridad. Para satisfacer estas demandas es necesario investigar las alternativas de los procesos que permitan el uso óptimo de los recursos existentes con la mínima inversión económica posible. Esta tarea se conoce como rediseño, que es un procedimiento para determinar posibles cambios en un proceso existente para mejorarlo con respecto a alguna métrica, tal como económica, ambiental, de seguridad, etc.En esta tesis se propone un marco de ayuda al rediseño para procesos técnicos. Este marco emplea una representación jerárquica de modelos múltiples del proceso que se rediseñará en conjunción con un motor que razonamiento basado en casos para ayudar a decidir qué elementos del proceso deben ser modificados. El marco consiste en cuatro etapas principales: adquisición de la descripción del diseño, identificación de candidatos, generación de alternativas, y adaptación y evaluación de alternativas. El proceso original se modela jerárquicamente empleando conceptos de medios-fines y partes-todo. Así el conocimiento sobre el comportamiento, la estructura, la función y el objetivo de cada una de las parte del proceso se genera y se almacena automáticamente. Dado las nuevas especificaciones o requisitos que el proceso debe satisfacer, el sistema encuentra las partes del proceso que debe ser rediseñadas. Se utiliza una librería de casos para obtener secciones alternativas del proceso que se puedan adaptar para sustituir partes del proceso original. Por lo tanto, el marco propuesto permite modelar el proceso, identificar los componentes de proceso viables a rediseñar, obtener componentes alternativos y finalmente adaptar estos componentes alternativos en el proceso original. Este procedimiento se puede ver como actividad de ingeniería inversa donde se generan modelos abstractos en diversos niveles a partir de una descripción detallada de un proceso existente para reducir su complejidad. El marco ha sido implementado y probado en el dominio de Ingeniería Química.Industrial processes require periodic evaluations to verify their correct operation, both in technical and economical terms. These evaluations are necessary due to changes in the markets, and in safety and environmental legislation. In order to satisfy these demands it is necessary to investigate process alternatives that allow the optimal use of existing resources with the minimum possible investment. This task is known as redesign, which is a procedure to determine possible changes to an existing process in order to improve it with respect to some metric, such as economical, environmental, safety, etc.A redesign support framework for technical processes is proposed in this thesis. This framework employs a multiple-model hierarchical representation of the process to be redesigned together with a case-based reasoning engine that helps to decide which elements of the process should be modified. The framework consists of four main stages: acquisition of the design description, identification of candidates, generation of alternatives, and adaptation and evaluation of alternatives.The original process is modelled hierarchically exploiting means-end and part-whole concepts, and thus knowledge about the behaviour, structure, function and intention of each part of the process is automatically generated and stored. Given the new specifications or requirements that the process must fulfil, the system finds the parts of the process which must be redesigned and a case library is used to obtain alternative process sections which can be adapted to substitute parts of the original process. Therefore, the proposed framework allows to model the process, to identify process components suitable for redesign, to obtain alternative components, and finally, to adapt these components into the original process. This procedure can be seen as a reverse engineering activity where abstract models at different levels are generated from a detailed description of an existing process to reduce its complexity. The framework has been implemented and tested on the Chemical Engineering domain.Postprint (published version

Redesign of technical systems

The paper describes a systematic approach to support the redesign process. Redesign is the adaptation of a technical system in order to meet new specifications. The approach presented is based on techniques developed in model-based diagnosis research. The essence of the approach is to find the part of the system which causes the discrepancy between a formal specification of the system to be designed and the description of the existing technical system. Furthermore, new specifications are generated, describing the new behaviour for the `faulty¿ part. These specifications guide the actual design of this part. Both the specification and design description are based on YMIR, an ontology for structuring engineering design knowledge

On Engineering Support for Business Process Modelling and Redesign

Currently, there is an enormous (research) interest in business process redesign (BPR). Several management-oriented approaches have been proposed showing how to make BPR work. However, detailed descriptions of empirical experience are few. Consistent engineering methodologies to aid and guide a BPR-practitioner are currently emerging. Often, these methodologies are claimed to be developed for business process modelling, but stem directly from information system design cultures. We consider an engineering methodology for BPR to consist of modelling concepts, their representation, computerized tools and methods, and pragmatic skills and guidelines for off-line modelling, communicating, analyzing, (re)designing\ud business processes. The modelling concepts form the architectural basis of such an engineering methodology. Therefore, the choice, understanding and precise definition of these concepts determine the productivity and effectiveness of modelling tasks within a BPR project. The\ud current paper contributes to engineering support for BPR. We work out general issues that play a role in the development of engineering support for BPR. Furthermore, we introduce an architectural framework for business process modelling and redesign. This framework consists of a coherent set of modelling concepts and techniques on how to use them. The framework enables the modelling of both the structural and dynamic characteristics of business processes. We illustrate its applicability by modelling a case from service industry. Moreover, the architectural framework supports abstraction and refinement techniques. The use of these techniques for a BPR trajectory are discussed

Devising a consensus definition and framework for non-technical skills in healthcare to support educational design: A modified Delphi study

Background Non-technical skills are a subset of human factors that focus on the individual and promote safety through teamwork and awareness. There is no widely adopted competency or outcome based framework for non-technical skills training in healthcare outside the surgical environment. The authors set out to devise such a framework and reach a consensus on a definition using a modified Delphi approach. Methods An exhaustive list of published and team suggested items was presented to the expert panel for ranking and to propose a definition. In the second round, a focused list was presented, as well as the proposed definition elements. The finalised framework was sent to the panel for review. Summary of results 16 experts participated (58% response rate). A total of 36 items of 105 ranked highly enough to present in round two. The final framework consists of 16 competencies for all and 8 specific competencies for team leaders. The consensus definition describes non-technical skills as ‘a set of social (communication and team work) and cognitive (analytical and personal behaviour) skills that support high quality, safe, effective and efficient inter-professional care within the complex healthcare system’. Conclusions The authors have produced a new competency framework, through the works of an international expert panel, which is not discipline specific. This consensus competency framework can be used by curriculum developers, educational innovators and clinical teachers to support developments in the field

Model-based approaches to support process improvement in complex product development

The performance of product development processes is important to the commercial success of new products. The improvement of these processes is thus a strategic imperative for many engineering companies — the aero-engine is one example of a complex product for which market pressures necessitate ever-shorter development times. This thesis argues that process modelling and simulation can support the improvement of complex product development processes. A literature review identified that design process modelling is a well-established research area encompassing a diverse range of approaches. However, most existing tools and methods are not widely applied in industry. An extended case study was therefore conducted to explore the pragmatic utility of process modelling and simulation. It is argued that iteration is a key driver of design process behaviour which cannot be fully reflected in a mechanistic model. Understanding iteration can help select an appropriate representation for a given process domain and modelling objective. A model-based approach to improve the management of iterative design processes was developed. This approach shows that design process simulation models can support practice despite their limited fidelity. The modelling and simulation framework resulting from this work was enhanced for application to a wider range of process improvement activities. A robust and extensible software platform was also developed. The framework and software tool have made significant contribution to research projects investigating process redesign, process robustness and process optimisation. These projects are discussed to validate the framework and tool and to highlight their applicability beyond the original approach. The research results were disseminated in academia and industry — 72 copies of the software were distributed following requests in the first three months of its release

Unleashing the Effectiveness of Process-oriented Information Systems: Problem Analysis, Critical Success Factors, Implications

Process-oriented information systems (IS) aim at the computerized support of business processes. So far, contemporary IS have often fail to meet this goal. To better understand this drawback, to systematically identify its rationales, and to derive critical success factors for business process support, we conducted three empirical studies: an exploratory case study in the automotive domain, an online survey among 79 IT professionals, and another online survey among 70 business process management (BPM) experts. This paper summarizes the findings of these studies, puts them in relation with each other, and uses them to show that "process-orientation" is scarce and "process-awareness" is needed in IS engineering

Innovation and research in organic farming: A multi‐level approach to facilitate cooperation among stakeholders

A wider range of stakeholders is expected to be involved in organic research. A decision‐support tool is needed to define priorities and to allocate tasks among institutions. Based on research and management experience in organic research, the authors have developed a framework for experimental and research projects. The framework is based on a multi‐level approach. Each level is defined according to the directness of the innovation impact on the organic systems. The projects carried out for each level were assessed over a ten-year period. Two applications are presented: analysis of crop protection strategies in horticulture and plant breeding programmes. When combined with four development models of organic farming, this multi‐level analysis appears to be promising for defining research agendas

Modeling and Simulating Causal Dependencies on Process-aware Information Systems from a Cost Perspective

Providing effective IT support for business processes has become crucial for enterprises to stay competitive in their market. Business processes must be defined, implemented, enacted, monitored, and continuously adapted to changing situations. Process life cycle support and continuous process improvement become critical success factors in contemporary and future enterprise computing. In this context, process-aware information systems (PAISs) adopt a key role. Thereby, organization-specific and generic process support systems are distinguished. In the former case, the PAIS is build "from scratch" and incorporates organization-specific information about the structure and processes to be supported. In the latter case, the PAIS does not contain any information about the structure and processes of a particular organization. Instead, an organization needs to configure the PAIS by specifying processes, organizational entities, and business objects. To enable the realization of PAISs, numerous process support paradigms, process modeling standards, and business process management tools have been introduced. The application of these approaches in PAIS engineering projects is not only influenced by technological, but also by organizational and project-specific factors. Between these factors there exist numerous causal dependencies, which, in turn, often lead to complex and unexpected effects in PAIS engineering projects. In particular, the costs of PAIS engineering projects are significantly influenced by these causal dependencies. What is therefore needed is a comprehensive approach enabling PAIS engineers to systematically investigate these causal dependencies as well as their impact on the costs of PAIS engineering projects. Existing economic-driven IT evaluation and software cost estimation approaches, however, are unable to take into account causal dependencies and resulting effects. In response, this thesis introduces the EcoPOST framework. This framework utilizes evaluation models to describe the interplay of technological, organizational, and project-specific evaluation factors, and simulation concepts to unfold the dynamic behavior of PAIS engineering projects. In this context, the EcoPOST framework also supports the reuse of evaluation models based on a library of generic, predefined evaluation patterns and also provides governing guidelines (e.g., model design guidelines) which enhance the transfer of the EcoPOST framework into practice. Tool support is available as well. Finally, we present the results of two online surveys, three case studies, and one controlled software experiment. Based on these empirical and experimental research activities, we are able to validate evaluation concepts underlying the EcoPOST framework and additionally demonstrate its practical applicability

Investigating Decision Support Techniques for Automating Cloud Service Selection

The compass of Cloud infrastructure services advances steadily leaving users in the agony of choice. To be able to select the best mix of service offering from an abundance of possibilities, users must consider complex dependencies and heterogeneous sets of criteria. Therefore, we present a PhD thesis proposal on investigating an intelligent decision support system for selecting Cloud based infrastructure services (e.g. storage, network, CPU).Comment: Accepted by IEEE Cloudcom 2012 - PhD consortium trac