Process Connectors: Enabling Rapid and Flexible Interconnection of Distributed Processes

摘要-标题：过程连接器：实现分布式过程的快速而灵活的互连建筑业中交互过程的糟糕协调是导致工作流可靠性低(30%-60%)的主要原因，这导致在这个价值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过程协调需求。然而，由于协调需求是信息密集型的，在对应用领域的详细理解的支持下，新的计算机科学实践有望改进实践。这个项目的目标是产生新的理论和理解，以便能够在公司之间快速配置计算机化的链接--过程连接器--以管理分散的过程协调任务。用于集成分布式服务(例如，Web服务)的现有模型和方法的一个关键限制是它们不提供快速配置特定实现(尤其是对于复杂服务)所需的工具。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，预计会有两个具体的结果：(1)开发能够适应过程之间的交互的本体，特别是其中存在不同级别的细节和必须在过程中传播的约束的交互。(2)开发一种规范语言，以便以可执行格式灵活地对异类流程和流程连接器建模。为了指导开发和测试，研究团队将在整个项目期间与业界合作。具体的重点将放在住宅建设上，这是美国建筑业价值超过3000亿美元的一个庞大子集。与产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，并为课堂教学制定范例和系统。在专注于住宅建设的同时，根据这一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。更广泛地说，拟议的研究将为公司和个人进行动态过程建模提供基础。预计拟议的研究将使公司分享工艺知识和协调其集体行动的能力发生阶段性变化，使它们能够比目前可能的情况更快、更可靠地产生、评估和改进工艺备选方案。

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.