Software engineering process support based on fuzzy imploding Petri nets

ABSTRACT

Software engineering process management and control is increasingly recognized as critical to the timely engineering of quality products. Automated process support within an integrated environment provides otherwise unachievable levels of insight, coordination, control, and flexibility in governing the activities and resources that comprise the engineering process. Crucial to process flexibility and robustness is the ability of a process to both withstand and react to the impact of unexpected or uncontrollable events. Using Petri nets as a basis for process modelling, this paper proposes an extension to fuzzy Petri nets which meaningfully models the impact of and response to the chaotic events that typically disrupt any complex process. Concepts introduced include: transition release thresholds, transition recall thresholds, transition backfiring. token recalls, token maturity, and token chains.

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