Process Connectors: Enabling Rapid and Flexible Interconnection of Distributed Processes

摘要-标题：过程连接器：实现分布式流程的快速灵活互连建筑行业中交互流程的协调性差是工作流程可靠性低（30-60%）的主要原因，这导致了这个价值7000多亿美元的美国行业（全球价值3.4万亿美元）中代价高昂的延迟和重复的流程协调需求。然而，由于协调的需要是信息密集型的，新的计算机科学实践的支持下，详细了解应用领域的承诺，以改善实践。该项目的目标是产生新的理论和理解，使企业之间的计算机化链接-过程连接器-管理分布式过程协调任务的快速配置。用于集成分布式服务的现有模型和方法的一个关键限制（例如，Web服务）的缺点是它们没有提供必要的工具来快速配置特定的实现（特别是对于复杂的服务）。这限制了它们在公司以临时方式组装和拆卸的项目中的可用性。为了支持研究目标，预计有两个具体的成果：（1）开发一个本体，可以容纳过程之间的交互，特别是交互的细节和约束，必须跨过程传播的不同水平。(2)开发一种规范语言，以可执行格式灵活地对异构流程和流程连接器进行建模。为了指导开发和测试，研究团队将在整个项目中与行业合作。具体重点将放在住宅建筑上，这是美国建筑业的一个3000多亿美元的大子集。与工业界的合作提供了有针对性的机会，以促进赠款的教育目标，使学生参与研究，并为课堂教学法制定范例和系统。虽然专注于住宅建设，根据本建议开发的理论和方法适用于广泛的项目行业，如商业和工业建筑，造船，定制制造等更广泛的，拟议的研究将提供基础，使企业和个人的动态过程建模。预计拟议的研究将使企业分享工艺知识和协调集体行动的能力发生重大变化，使它们能够比目前更快、更可靠地生成、评估和改进工艺替代品。

Abstract - Title: Process Connectors: Enabling Rapid and Flexible Interconnection of Distributed ProcessesPoor coordination of interacting processes in the construction industry is largely responsible for a low workflow reliability of 30-60% that results in costly delays and repeated process coordination needs in this $700+ billion dollar US industry ($3.4 trillion globally). However, since the coordination needs are information intensive, new computer science practices supported by detailed understanding of the application domain holds the promise to improve practice. This project objectives are to generate new theory and understandings to enable rapid configuration of computerized links - process connectors - between firms to manage distributed process coordination tasks. A key limitation of existing models and methods for integrating distributed services (e.g., Web Services) is that they do not provide the necessary tools to rapidly configure specific implementations (particularly for complex services). This limits their usability in projects where firms assemble and disassemble in an ad hoc manner. To support the research objectives, two specific outcomes are anticipated: (1) Development of an ontology that can accommodate interactions between processes, in particular interactions where there are different levels of detail and constraints that must be propagated across processes. (2) Development of a specification language to flexibly model heterogeneous processes and process connectors in an executable format. To guide the development and testing the research team will collaborate with industry throughout the project. Specific focus will be placed on residential construction, a large $300+ billion subset of the US construction industry. Collaboration with industry provides directed opportunities to foster the educational objectives of the grant to involve students in the research and to develop examples and systems for classroom pedagogy. While focusing on residential construction, the theory and methods developed under this proposal are applicable to a wide range of project industries such as commercial and industrial construction, shipbuilding, custom manufacturing, etc. More broadly, the proposed research will provide the foundation to enable dynamic process modeling by firms and individuals. It is expected that the proposed research will enable a step change in firms' capabilities to share process knowledge and coordinate their collective actions, allowing them to generate, evaluate and refine process alternatives more rapidly and reliably than is currently possible.