A multi-model view of process modelling

Situatedness of development processes is a key issue in both the software engineering and the method engineering communities, as there is a strong felt need for process prescriptions to be adapted to the situation at hand. The assumption of the process modelling approach presented in this paper is that process prescriptions should be selected according to the actual situation at hand, i.e. dynamically in the course of the process. The paper focuses on a multi-model view of process modelling which supports this dynamicity. The approach builds on the notion of a labelled graph of intentions and strategies called a map as well as its associated guidelines. The map is a navigational structure which supports the dynamic selection of the intention to be achieved next and the appropriate strategy to achieve it, whereas guidelines help in the operationalisation of the selected intention. The paper presents the map and guidelines and exemplifies the approach using the CREWS-L'Ecritoire method for requirements engineering. © 1999 Springer-Verlag London Limited.