A Comparative Evaluation of Agent-Oriented Methodologies

Multiple agent-oriented methodologies were introduced in recent years, however no systematic evaluation of these was offered. In this work we perform a comparative evaluation of three well-known agent-oriented methodologies: Gaia, Tropos, and MaSE. To perform this evaluation we use an existing framework that focuses on four major facets of a methodology: concepts and properties, notations and modeling techniques, development process, and pragmatics. Analyzing the results of our evaluation, we recognize several facets that need further improvements within the existing agent-oriented methodologies. Our study does not attempt to state what the right methodology is. Rather, it examines existing agent-oriented methodologies.