Discovering and Modelling Enterprise Engineering Project Processes

Often, in an enterprise engineering (EE) project, it is quite difficult to figure out what exactly needs to be done due to the rather generic (and often proprietary) character of the EE methods available. In addition, selecting appropriate elements from the multitude of available and emerging architecture frameworks (AFs) in order to model and manage the given EE undertaking is a non-trivial task. This chapter proposes a way to assist the inference of processes and to facilitate the selection and use of AF elements needed to accomplish EE projects. This is accomplished by assessing and organising AF elements into a structured repository (SR) using a generalised architecture framework (ISO15704:2000 Annex A) and by providing a "method to create methods" (a meta-methodology) for specific EE tasks that also guides the selection of AF elements from the SR. A brief introduction outlining the previously mentioned EE problems is followed by the description of the meta-methodology principle and of the assessment reference used. Next, a case study presents a sample application of the meta-methodology for a real EE project. The chapter closes with conclusions on the presented approach and a description of further work to refine and enrich the meta-methodology.