67,668 research outputs found
Framework for continuous improvement of production processes
This research introduces a new approach of using Six Sigma DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, Control) methodology. This approach integrates various tools and methods into a single framework, which consists of five steps. In the Define step, problems and main Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are identified. In the Measure step, the modified Failure Classifier (FC), i.e. DOE-NE-STD-1004-92 is applied, which enables to specify the types of failures for each operation during the production process. Also, Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) is used to measure the weight of failures by calculating the Risk Priority Number (RPN) value. In order to indicate the quality level of process/product the Process/Product Sigma Performance Level (PSPL) is calculated based on the FMEA results. Using the RPN values from FMEA the variability of process by failures, operations and work centres are observed. In addition, costs of the components are calculated, which enable to measure the impact of failures on the final product cost. A new method of analysis is introduced, in which various charts created in the Measure step are compared. Analysis step facilitates the subsequent Improve and Control steps, where appropriate changes in the manufacturing process are implemented and sustained. The objective of the new framework is to perform continuous improvement of production processes in the way that enables engineers to discover the critical problems that have financial impact on the final product. This framework provides new ways of monitoring and eliminating failures for production processes continuous improvement, by focusing on the KPIs important for business success. In this paper, the background and the key concepts of Six Sigma are described and the proposed Six Sigma DMAIC framework is explained. The implementation of this framework is verified by computational experiment followed by conclusion section
Higher-Order Process Modeling: Product-Lining, Variability Modeling and Beyond
We present a graphical and dynamic framework for binding and execution of
business) process models. It is tailored to integrate 1) ad hoc processes
modeled graphically, 2) third party services discovered in the (Inter)net, and
3) (dynamically) synthesized process chains that solve situation-specific
tasks, with the synthesis taking place not only at design time, but also at
runtime. Key to our approach is the introduction of type-safe stacked
second-order execution contexts that allow for higher-order process modeling.
Tamed by our underlying strict service-oriented notion of abstraction, this
approach is tailored also to be used by application experts with little
technical knowledge: users can select, modify, construct and then pass
(component) processes during process execution as if they were data. We
illustrate the impact and essence of our framework along a concrete, realistic
(business) process modeling scenario: the development of Springer's
browser-based Online Conference Service (OCS). The most advanced feature of our
new framework allows one to combine online synthesis with the integration of
the synthesized process into the running application. This ability leads to a
particularly flexible way of implementing self-adaption, and to a particularly
concise and powerful way of achieving variability not only at design time, but
also at runtime.Comment: In Proceedings Festschrift for Dave Schmidt, arXiv:1309.455
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Systematic evaluation of software product line architectures
The architecture of a software product line is one of its most important artifacts as it represents an abstraction of the products that can be generated. It is crucial to evaluate the quality attributes of a product line architecture in order to: increase the productivity of the product line process and the quality of the products; provide a means to understand the potential behavior of the products and, consequently, decrease their time to market; and, improve the handling of the product line variability. The evaluation of product line architecture can serve as a basis to analyze the managerial and economical values of a product line for software managers and architects. Most of the current research on the evaluation of product line architecture does not take into account metrics directly obtained from UML models and their variabilities; the metrics used instead are difficult to be applied in general and to be used for quantitative analysis. This paper presents a Systematic Evaluation Method for UML-based Software Product Line Architecture, the SystEM-PLA. SystEM-PLA differs from current research as it provides stakeholders with a means to: (i) estimate and analyze potential products; (ii) use predefined basic UML-based metrics to compose quality attribute metrics; (iii) perform feasibility and trade-off analysis of a product line architecture with respect to its quality attributes; and, (iv) make the evaluation of product line architecture more flexible. An example using the SEI’s Arcade Game Maker (AGM) product line is presented as a proof of concept, illustrating SystEM-PLA activities. Metrics for complexity and extensibility quality attributes are defined and used to
perform a trade-off analysis
On the structure of problem variability: From feature diagrams to problem frames
Requirements for product families are expressed in terms of commonality and variability. This distinction allows early identification of an appropriate software architecture and opportunities for software reuse. Feature diagrams provide intuitive notations and techniques for representing requirements in product line development. In this paper, we observe that feature diagrams tend to obfuscate three important descriptions: requirements, domain properties and specifications. As a result, feature diagrams do not adequately capture the problem structures that underlie variability, and inform the solution structures of their complexity. With its emphasis on separation of the three descriptions, the problem frames approach provides a conceptual framework for a more detailed analysis of variability and its structure. With illustrations from an example, we demonstrate how problem frames analysis of variability can augment feature diagrams
An Empirical Study on Decision making for Quality Requirements
[Context] Quality requirements are important for product success yet often
handled poorly. The problems with scope decision lead to delayed handling and
an unbalanced scope. [Objective] This study characterizes the scope decision
process to understand influencing factors and properties affecting the scope
decision of quality requirements. [Method] We studied one company's scope
decision process over a period of five years. We analyzed the decisions
artifacts and interviewed experienced engineers involved in the scope decision
process. [Results] Features addressing quality aspects explicitly are a minor
part (4.41%) of all features handled. The phase of the product line seems to
influence the prevalence and acceptance rate of quality features. Lastly,
relying on external stakeholders and upfront analysis seems to lead to long
lead-times and an insufficient quality requirements scope. [Conclusions] There
is a need to make quality mode explicit in the scope decision process. We
propose a scope decision process at a strategic level and a tactical level. The
former to address long-term planning and the latter to cater for a speedy
process. Furthermore, we believe it is key to balance the stakeholder input
with feedback from usage and market in a more direct way than through a long
plan-driven process
Boundary Objects and their Use in Agile Systems Engineering
Agile methods are increasingly introduced in automotive companies in the
attempt to become more efficient and flexible in the system development. The
adoption of agile practices influences communication between stakeholders, but
also makes companies rethink the management of artifacts and documentation like
requirements, safety compliance documents, and architecture models.
Practitioners aim to reduce irrelevant documentation, but face a lack of
guidance to determine what artifacts are needed and how they should be managed.
This paper presents artifacts, challenges, guidelines, and practices for the
continuous management of systems engineering artifacts in automotive based on a
theoretical and empirical understanding of the topic. In collaboration with 53
practitioners from six automotive companies, we conducted a design-science
study involving interviews, a questionnaire, focus groups, and practical data
analysis of a systems engineering tool. The guidelines suggest the distinction
between artifacts that are shared among different actors in a company (boundary
objects) and those that are used within a team (locally relevant artifacts). We
propose an analysis approach to identify boundary objects and three practices
to manage systems engineering artifacts in industry
Towards guidelines for building a business case and gathering evidence of software reference architectures in industry
Background: Software reference architectures are becoming widely adopted by organizations that need to support the design and maintenance of software applications of a shared domain. For organizations that plan to adopt this architecture-centric approach, it becomes fundamental to know the return on investment and to understand how software reference architectures are designed, maintained, and used. Unfortunately, there is little evidence-based support to help organizations with these challenges.
Methods: We have conducted action research in an industry-academia collaboration between the GESSI research group and everis, a multinational IT consulting firm based in Spain.
Results: The results from such collaboration are being packaged in order to create guidelines that could be used in similar contexts as the one of everis. The main result of this paper is the construction of empirically-grounded guidelines that support organizations to decide on the adoption of software reference architectures and to gather evidence to improve RA-related practices.
Conclusions: The created guidelines could be used by other organizations outside of our industry-academia collaboration. With this goal in mind, we describe the guidelines in detail for their use.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version
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