Model-based Framework for Integrated Evolution of Business

and IT Changes

Integrated Evolution of Business and IT Changes

Anna Medve

1,2

Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Systems, University of Pannonia,

Egyetem u. 10., Veszpr

em, Hungary

PhD School of Computer Science, E

otv

os Lor

and University, Budapest, Hungary

Keywords:

MDE, Reengineering, Business Goals Evolution, Functional Model Improvement, Quality Requirements

Integration, ISO/IEC 27001/27002, URN Framework.

Abstract:

This paper introduces a goal-oriented framework which consists of generic and speciﬁc model repositories,

and of methodology for integrated change management of business and IT evolutions. Is based on model com-

positions and traceability assessments of goal-oriented and scenario models. It contains a versioning-based

cooperative work environment for business analysts to generate strategy decisions and simulations, themselves.

The techniques and tools used are from the User Requirements Notation standard for requirements engineer-

ing and its supporting tools. Sets of models for visual documentation of BABOK 2.0 standard for business

analysis, and of ISO/IEC 27001 and 27002 standards for information security, form the model repository to

support developers and decision makers. These rise the generic aspect of the framework. An instantiation of

framework for B2B change management with empirical validation within an SME, has been done. In a long

way, this framework will be a base on a more complex system conﬁguration control framework.

1 INTRODUCTION

This paper introduces the BUSITEV framework for

model-based integration of BUSiness and IT EVolu-

tions. This work is an evolution of our previous pro-

posals for re-engineering of business systems.

The business information system’s evolutions

need to be integrated in technological and business

plans with accentuate impact analysis and security

policy (ENISA, 2011).

The goal of BUSITEV framework is to support

developers and decision makers in evolutionary mod-

elling of changes. The BUSITEV framework acts as

multi-model approach, which combines components

of models, technologies, and standards to create a cus-

tomized solution to a business problem or goal.

The rest of the paper is organized as follows: Sec-

tion 2 and Section 3 introduces the backgrounds and

the BUSITEV framework of multi-model approach

for integrated view of business goals, problems, and

generic solutions. Section 4 presents examples from

an instantiation of the framework for B2B evolutions.

Related work are discussed in Section 5 followed by

Conclusions.

2 BACKGROUND

User Requirements Notations is a ﬁrst standardization

effort for user requirements engineering language that

combines in one uniﬁed language goal models and

scenarios from Goal-oriented Requirement Language

(GRL) and Use Case Maps (UCM). URN is viewed

as complementary to notations of UML2. 0 OMG

methodologies (ITU-T Z.151., 2008), (ITU-T Z. 150.,

2003), (GRL -OME, 2011), (GRL- KPI - jUCMNav,

2011) (UCM -jUCMNav, 2011). The URN support-

ing tool is the Eclipse-based jUCMNav tool, which

contains simulation engine for implementing trace-

ability relationships between functional and quality

requirements. (jUCMNav 4.5, 2011) .

The unique combination of goals and scenarios

found in URN enables not only to describe and ana-

lyze what, when, who, how and where aspects of busi-

ness processes, but also why aspects as relations to

business objectives. The URN allows reasoning about

alternatives from intentional ambiguity and abstrac-

tion levels for scenario interactions, performance, and

architecture (Pourshahid et al., 2009) .

GRL Goal Model. An example of a GRL goal model

255

Medve A..

Model-based Framework for Integrated Evolution of Business and IT Changes - Integrated Evolution of Business and IT Changes.

DOI: 10.5220/0004085402550260

In Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Software Paradigm Trends (ICSOFT-2012), pages 255-260

ISBN: 978-989-8565-19-8

 2012 SCITEPRESS (Science and Technology Publications, Lda.)

and its abstraction capability is shown in Figure 2.

The elements of the goal tree can be connected to

each other via contribution, correlation and decompo-

sition types of relationships. URN standard supports

three sample GRL evaluation mechanisms: quantita-

tive, qualitative, as well as a mixed analysis. For more

semantics see at (GRL- KPI - jUCMNav, 2011).

URN has concepts for the speciﬁcation of stake-

holders, goals, non-functional requirements, ratio-

nales, behavior, structure, and scenarios in use case

maps. Use case maps form the functional model

which scenarios can be exported in UML interaction

diagrams. UCM Functional Model. An Use Case

Maps (UCM) model is shown at Figure 4 that shows

UCM model components, the processing paths with

responsibilities as events in a scenario with start point

and end points. The colors of the structural elements

can be selected and ﬁxed for the internal standard of

an organization, as visual information of a business

context.

UCM allows to visualize structural and opera-

tional aspects in one functional model. Colored com-

ponents are actors and organizational elements, lines

are path of the ﬂow which contains the actions of re-

sponsibilities within a process in consecutive relative

times units. UCM has notations for expression of time

and of organizational hierarchy.

Start point and end points and path ramiﬁcations

shows a workﬂow style of UCM notations, as well as

And/Or, Fork, Join points are to compose-decompose

path of process variations. For more semantics see at

(UCM -jUCMNav, 2011).

jUCMNav Tool. The jUCMNav (jUCMNav 4.5,

2011) is an open-source Eclipse plug-in that can han-

dle URNs concepts for integrating functionals with

quality requirements. jUCMNav provides integrated

supports for model transformations. It can generate

reports and can export diagrams in various formats.

For more details of URN, GRL, UCM, jUCMNav

see (jUCMNav 4.5, 2011) and the (300+) publica-

tions and reports available at the URN Virtual Library

(URN VLIB, 2011).

3 THE BUSITEV FRAMEWORK

We built a generic goal-based framework with User

Requirements Notation (URN) standards (ITU-T

Z.151., 2008), (ITU-T Z. 150., 2003) and on URN

supporting jUCMNav tool (jUCMNav 4.5, 2011).

Technically, URN is which offers the integration pos-

sibility. Methodologically, the framework realization

consists on instantiation of a set of customizable prob-

lems and solutions in the form of generic and speciﬁc

models of domains managed within jUCMNav tool

and a revision control system for model releases.

3.1 The Generic Model of the

Framework

Our research context ﬁxes the solution space as

generic models from an initial development for a

problem space. We obtain generic models by apply-

ing goal-orientation and classifying requirements on

functional, nonfunctional, and extra-functional with

traceability links between them. Generic goal mod-

els serve to identify the strategies for a problem space

from selecting a set of possible solutions. The iden-

tiﬁed strategies and the built goal graph help to ar-

chitect functional requirements into business process

model (Pourshahid, 2011). Thereby, we captured

the behavioural and structural details of a strategy

between problem space and solution space. Goal-

orientation helps to capture goal graphs thus identify

common problems and potential solution choices, as

well as the forces that have to be considered. Docu-

menting common solutions to the identiﬁed problem

should be made with adequate tools forming reusable

assets.

Figure 1: Generic model of BUSITEV framework.

See Figure 1 to follow how the framework cre-

ation and usage is made. The generic models form an

input (1) to an iteration for goal-based engineering of

intentions. The generic models give also the elements

of a business process/scenarios intended to be built

or actualized (5.a), (5.b). Given the generic models,

goals and assessments are identiﬁed from intentions

and analysis of problem space (3.a). These results in

captured strategies, which forms realizations as busi-

ness processes or scenarios (3.b). Linking goals to

realizations i. e. forming URN links from goal mod-

els to process models (4.), decision makers give nodes

between problem space and solution space.

A repeated analysis is done during change man-

agement. URN links give traceability links for multi-

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model approach and for validation and simulation au-

tomation. Business goals and processes redeﬁned can

be added (3.b), (5.a), (5.b) as speciﬁc models into

models repository of the framework.

The framework supports model-transformations

by jUCMNav tool capabilities. These help to formal-

ize business mechanisms as goals and scenarios, and

to simulate and validate them with variations by in-

volving business decision makers. This give an ad-

vanced conceptional design process with inclusion of

business decision makers.

This framework conception supports business an-

alysts in multi-model usage process and decision

making. Business analysts can use the framework

themselves: selecting generic/speciﬁc models, as-

sessing and deﬁning strategies, and reﬁnements for

changed models, or deﬁning of speciﬁc models.

3.2 Supporting Business Analysis

BUSITEV framework contains generic models of rec-

ommendations of Business Analysis (BA) standard to

guide business analysis. (BABOK, 2011).

A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowl-

edge (BABOK Guide) (BABOK, 2011) is a recog-

nized standard for the practice of business analysis.

The BABOK Guide deﬁnes a Requirements Classiﬁ-

cation Scheme stated as classes of Business Require-

ments, Stakeholder Requirements, Solution Require-

ments and Transition Requirements, which support

the dynamics of system’s evolution.

This visual documentation of business analysis

standard supports aligning business analysis with re-

quirements engineering.

3.3 Supports for Security Management

BUSITEV framework contains a collection of generic

requirements of information security in reusable tem-

plates. These consist of goals and security require-

ments per section and subsections of the ISO/IEC

27001 and 27002 standards. They provide generic se-

curity goal models and a business view of the struc-

tural aspects of security assets, regarding its adoption

this should be a strategic decision for the change man-

agement.

Figure 2 shows a part of the generic goal model of

security assets clauses and references from Business

Continuity section of ISO/IEC 27002 standard. See

for GRL details in the Section Background.

Generic security goal models form a basis for

strategy creation and for creating the set of speciﬁc se-

curity models. The framework instantiation, which is

introduced in Section 4, has specialized templates for

e-trading assessments and for typology assessments

of security levels as human, software, hardware and

objects resources.

3.4 Repository-based Support for

Collaborative Work

BUSITEV framework has implemented the SVN

(SVN, 2011) subversion manager to manage the con-

current access rights and team communications for

developers scattered by geography to function as a

single team. In a teamwork context to avoid confu-

sion, the word version is almost never used. Versions

in the ﬁrst sense we call revisions , and in the second

sense releases.

This opportunity allows business analysts and

stakeholders separated in space and/or time to collab-

orate, synchronize and negotiate conﬂicting changes.

Revision Control Systems (RCS) manages multiple

revisions of ﬁles (RCS-CVS, 2011). RCS auto-

mates the storing, retrieval, logging, identiﬁcation,

and merging of revisions.

4 FRAMEWORK INSTANTIATED

FOR B2B EVOLUTIONS

Instantiation of BUSITEV framework for a domain it

consists to follow the methodology for evolutionary

modelling (see at 3.1 ) to create the generic goal and

functional models for the domain, i.e. trading sys-

tems, followed by speciﬁc models obtained by creat-

ing business strategies and by reﬁning generic mod-

els. We named BUSITEV-SMIWEP framework the

instantiated BUSITEV framework for B2B type of

evolutions.

4.1 Examples for Strategy Creation and

Integration into Functional Model

Figure 2 shows a part of a GRL model. In this model

are used notations for intentional elements and rela-

tionships. Here, the intentional elements are goals,

softgoals and their realizations by tasks and resources,

which realize security assessments. Relationships

used are contributions, decompositions, and/or logi-

cal operators. The content of this graph is captured

from the ISO/IEC 27002 standard recommendations.

4.1.1 Strategy Creation from Generic/Speciﬁc

Models

Figure 3 in Appendix shows the results of a simula-

tion in the case of reusing the same assessed template

Model-basedFrameworkforIntegratedEvolutionofBusinessandITChanges-IntegratedEvolutionofBusinessandIT

Changes

257

Figure 2: Generic model of security recommendations for

Business Continuity information security of the ISO/IEC

27002.

(from library of speciﬁc models updated by created

strategies) for creating the strategy for medium level

of security goal ﬁxed at 100. With the initial choices

this alternative results in 26 units for Business Con-

tinuity security in rapport with the desired 80 unit of

medium level of security, because as you can observe

initial values for majority of resources are ﬁxed at 0

to achieve low level of costs. It is the responsibility of

system and business analysts to chose, simulate and

validate solution assessments.

4.1.2 Integration of Strategies into Functional

Model

A part of the resulted functional model after the inte-

gration of strategies into business processes is shown

in Figure 4. It shows new components, use case

paths and responsibilities marked with yellow trian-

gle which are added with URN-links for integrat-

ing requirements realizations from goal-strategy mod-

els. Yellow triangles serve as traceability points be-

tween elements of a strategy model and its realiza-

tions. They highlights how many components and

process elements can appear in functional model for

satisfying security requirements. The strategy goal

model used for reﬁning the functional model in this

example is from previous strategy models captured by

simulation.

5 RELATED WORK AND

DISCUSSION

Pourshahid et al. (Pourshahid, 2011) research re-

sults in metamodelling with URN proﬁle and struc-

turing pattern-based framework it support goal-based

elicitation and validation of functional models. Our

framework complements their work with integrating

changes management strategies into functional mod-

els based on generic model repository with possibil-

ity of involving decision makers. These strategies,

resulting from quality and extra-functional require-

ments simulations, drive change realizations for busi-

ness processes and IT features included in business

units. Other work as (Medve and Kovesi, 2009) inte-

grate goal analysis for information security and cus-

tomers loyalty correlations during e-business design.

Authors of (Stark-Werner, 2011) it established

model-based fault detection for strategy creation and

integration into functional model starting from pro-

cess mining. Our framework provides a methodology

to provide recommendations and relations from stan-

dards in visual form enabling reasoning about assess-

ments.

Based on (jUCMNav 4.5, 2011) our framework

enables variability from intentional ambiguity and

abstraction levels involving stakeholders in decision

making. We constructed the jUCMnav-based valida-

tion steps to derive speciﬁc templates from generic

models. For these steps we inspired from the re-

ﬁnement method of van Lamsweerde’s (Lamsweerde,

2004), and Akoka’s et al. (Akoka et al., 2008) mecha-

nisms for guidance by quality supported risk analysis

and cost evaluation models. Well-suited technics are

elaborated at (Amyot and Mussbacher, 2009) for goal

and scenario modeling, analysis, and transformation

with jUCMNav.

Our framework contributes with generic models as

bases for instantiation of a framework for supporting

teamwork releases of business analysis, and integra-

tion of strategy realizations into functional models.

6 CONCLUSIONS

This paper introduces the BUSITEV framework for

integrated engineering of business and IT evolutions.

The framework has based on User Requirements No-

tation standard (URN) and URN-supporting tools

urn1-itu. URN gives methods for traceability and

variability management. The framework contains

generic models as reusable visual documents of in-

formation security standards and of business analysis

standard. It has already been validated empirically for

e-commerce security conforming to the corporate so-

cial responsibility at Sonepar Ltd. SME.

Strong points are from linking business goals and

requirements to functional models; it reuses informa-

tion security standards for reasoning about security

levels, assets, costs and risks; the framework sup-

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258

ports releases between internal stakeholders for coop-

erating and further reasoning; portability by Eclipse

and some transformation engines of jUCMNav tool.

The weak points are the manual assessment of risk

and cost estimation in the case of a greater goal-tree.

For improving the framework we intend to introduce

some generic methods in form of template collections

to support communications between stakeholders and

services on demand in the case of outsourcing secu-

rity management.

We plan future work for applying metamodelling

methods from (Amyot and Behnam, 2011) in order to

establish families of framework’ instantiations.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The author is grateful to Atilla Steszli CIO, for indus-

trial experimentation at Sonepar Ltd. SME .

This research work was supported by T

AMOP-

4.2.1/B-09/1/KMR-2010-0003.

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APPENDIX

Figure 3: Speciﬁc model of security recommendations from ISO/IEC 27002 evaluated for medium level of Business Continuity

information security.

Figure 4: An illustration part of the resulted functional model after the integration of strategies. Yellow triangles are the

traceability points between strategy elements and its realizations into the functional model.

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