Process Engineering Tools

Definition

Process Engineering tool

a software tool that supports the performance of the process engineering tasks

Classification

As illustrated in the preceding figure, Performance Engineering Tool is part of the following inheritance hierarchy:

• Type: Concrete
• Superclass: Tool
• Subclasses: None
• Example Instances:
  • Process Consultant,
    which advises process engineers regarding the recommended:
    • Level of process discipline (i.e., rigor)
    • Size of process
    • Process components to incorporate when producing endeavor-specific process
  • Process Repository, which:
    • Stores reusable process components
    • Stores reusable reference processes
    • Enables methodologists and process engineers to:
      • Perform adaptive, corrective, and perfective maintenance on process components and reference processes
      • Extend the process and process component repository
    • Ensures consistency among process components within repository (e.g., with process model)
    • Ensures consistency among process components within reference processes (e.g., intercomponent references)
  • Process Construction/Tailoring Tool,
    which enables process engineers to:
    • Identify and select appropriate endeavor-specific process components
    • Properly integrate selected process components into an endeavor-specific process (e.g., eliminate broken references from selected process component to process components that were not selected)
    • Tailor process components within their processes
  • Process Work-Flow Specification and Enforcement Tool
  • Web-based Process Documentation

Responsibilities

The typical responsibilities of a Process Engineering tool is to support the performance of the following tasks:

• Process Needs Assessment
• Process Framework Extension
• Process Framework Iteration
• Process Construction
• Process Tailoring
• Process Documentation
• Process Consulting
• Process Mandating

Guidelines

• This website is a process tool for the OPEN Process Framework.
• Process engineering tools should be integrated with related tools, such as:
  • Configuration management tools (e.g., for configurating control of process components and processes)
  • Management tools (e.g., scheduling of process usage)
  • Metrics tools (e.g., metrics regarding process usage)
  • Work-unit-specific tools (e.g., tools for performing activities and tasks)