Sheridan Jeary

Lightweight Process Modeling for Virtual Enterprise Process Collaboration

Mashup is a new web 2.0 technology for data aggregation applications, combining data from different sources to create valuable information. The uses of mashups are often more data related than process related. In this paper, we explore the differences between data-oriented mashups and process-oriented enterprise mashups and consider how process mashups can be used for virtual enterprise collaboration. We highlight the modeling of end users’ process mashup applications from both a control flow and a data flow perspective. Based on our analyses, a lightweight process modeling approach is proposed for process enterprise mashup applications. Our approach, illustrated by reference to an example personal collaborative activity, will support collaboration among users with different levels of modeling skills and expertise in a virtual enterprise environment.

An evaluation of the utility of web development methods

Although many web development methods exist, they are rarely used by practitioners. The work reported here, seeks to explain why this might be so, and suggests that, for many, the perceived benefits may be outweighed by the difficulty or effort required to learn the method. In attempting to gauge the utility of methods the authors undertook a 2-year study of 23 small web development projects, attempting to use a range of published (academic) methods. Of the 23 projects we found only one case where the developer continued to use an academic web development method throughout the lifecycle. The ability to understand a method and/or its techniques was repeatedly cited as the reason for its abandonment. Our findings also indicate a number of key areas, relating to terminology, completeness, and guidance, where existing methods may be failing their intended users. In attempting to further our understanding of web development methods we completed a comprehensive survey of web development methods; covering 52 web development methods, encompassing a range of different research communities, and drawing upon 63 different sources. Our findings here shed some light upon the confusion of methods for the would-be user. In summary, the findings are that, although there is much of value in a variety of methods, method choice is somewhat bewildering for the newcomer to the field, and many methods are incomplete in some dimension. By providing this work we hope to go some way towards supporting the software engineering community, in both academia and industry, in their understanding of the quality issues that exist with the take up and use of web development methods.

Interoperative end-user process modelling for process collaborative manufacturing

As business environments change rapidly, the ability to quickly set up a collaborative automated business processes is desirable. Collaborative business processes are increasingly driven by business agility, adaptability and flexibility, particularly in a modern manufacturing enterprise environment. Traditionally, collaborative business processes are used among big organisations. Many of collaborative business process systems are designed for a long-term use with central control. It is a great challenge for enterprises to adapt processes to the todays business pace. Todays enterprise users demand many situational collaborative business process applications which handle business needs within a short period and which normally do not need to support too many users. The traditional centrally controlled systems are not designed for such situational applications. In this paper, we explore how business process mashups can be used for manufacturing enterprise collaboration. We highlight the modelling of end-users process collaboration from both a control flow and a data flow perspective. Based on our analyses, an end-user process modelling approach is proposed for process enterprise mashup applications. Our approach, illustrated by reference to an example pharmaceutical collaborative manufacturing case, will support collaboration among users with different levels of modelling skills and expertise in a pharmaceutical manufacturing enterprise environment.

A requirements framework for novice web developers

This paper introduces a requirements framework intended to guide novice web developers. The work is based on two earlier studies which found that the requirements phase is not well served in web development methods and that there is no agreed set of requirements from practitioners as to what they would like to see in a web development method. The requirements framework outlined here is developed by novice practitioners and later evaluated by them as flexible, simple and easy to use.

Re-identification attacksA systematic literature review

In recent years however, more re-identification attacks have been attempted by researchers elsewhere in the world.Further findings are that most research in this area has been conducted on Global datasets by American researchers. The publication of increasing amounts of anonymised open source data has resulted in a worryingly rising number of successful re-identification attacks. This has a number of privacy and security implications both on an individual and corporate level.This paper uses a systematic literature review to investigate the depth and extent of this problem as reported in peer reviewed literature. Using a detailed protocol,seven research portals were explored, 10,873 database entries were searched, from which a subset of 220 papers were selected for further review. From this total, 55 papers were selected as being within scope and to be included in the final review.The main review findings are that 72.7% of all successful re-identification attacks have taken place since 2009. Most attacks use multiple datasets. The majority of them have taken place on global datasets such as social networking data, and have been conducted by US based researchers. Furthermore, the number of datasets can be used as an attribute.Because privacy breaches have security, policy and legal implications (e.g. data protection, Safe Harbor etc.), the work highlights the need for new and improved anonymisation techniques or indeed, a fresh approach to open source publishing.

The role of comprehension in requirements and implications for use case descriptions

Within requirements engineering, it is generally accepted that in writing specifications (or indeed any requirements phase document), one attempts to produce an artefact which will be simple to comprehend for the user. That is, whether the document is intended for customers to validate requirements, or engineers to understand what the design must deliver, comprehension is an important goal for the author. Indeed, advice on producing ‘readable’ or ‘understandable’ documents is often included in courses on requirements engineering. However, few researchers, particularly within the software engineering domain, have attempted either to define or to understand the nature of comprehension and its implications for guidance on the production of quality requirements. Therefore, this paper examines thoroughly the nature of textual comprehension, drawing heavily from research in discourse process, and suggests some implications for requirements (and other) software documentation. In essence, we find that the guidance on writing requirements, often prevalent within software engineering, may be based upon assumptions that are an oversimplification of the nature of comprehension. Hence, the paper examines guidelines which have been proposed, in this case for use case descriptions, and the extent to which they agree with discourse process theory, before suggesting refinements to the guidelines which attempt to utilise lessons learned from our richer understanding of the underlying discourse process theory. For example, we suggest subtly different sets of writing guidelines for the different tasks of requirements, specification and design.