A Methodology for Developing Agent Based Systems for Enterprise Integration

One of the most significant opportunities for enterprise integration is the recent advancement of agent based systems. However, before agents can be widely used, a methodology must be established for the development of these systems. This paper outlines a methodology for the software engineering of agent based systems. The methodology is based upon the IDEF (ICAM Definition) approach for workflow modelling, the CIMOSA enterprise modelling framework, and the use case driven approach to object oriented software engineering. The methodology is illustrated by a case study in the area of discrete parts manufacturing.

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