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Process Technology Appnote

3.0 Methodology

The DARPA RASSP program has developed approaches and tools to assist organizations in adopting a process focus, understanding and improving their processes, and efficiently automating those processes. Process Engineering is a methodology that supports the evolutionary and revolutionary change that is required to achieve an organization's strategic goals through more effective, efficient, and agile processes. It involves not only process changes but also organizational changes to support the new processes. There is a significant impact on the policies and procedures of an organization. Teams are organized around processes rather than around organizational functions. Teams are empowered to make more decisions as checks and controls are reduced. Process Engineering leverages technology not just to make old processes better, but also to break the old paradigms. Once the program goals have been set and a strategy has been devised for achieving those goals, appropriate process(s) are selected for application to the projects, with certain customizations and improvements as shown in figure 3 - 1. Processes are selected from a process library (specific to a group or organization), and then reengineered or customized for the specific projects. This includes identification of the information requirements, and the detailed workflow steps. These requirements drive the generation of the specific metadata used in the workflow tools and the product data management systems for control of process execution.

Figure 3 - 1: Process Roadmap for a Project

The domain processes are modeled using IDEF3 (figure 3 - 2) and simulated to gain an understanding of the AS - IS environment. Integrated computer aided manufacturing DEFinition language (IDEF) is a set of process and information standards developed under Air Force sponsorship, and used extensively in multiple industries for process representation. Utilization of IDEF enables representation of the process models in a neutral format - and not associated with specific implementation tools. The particular process segment in figure 3 - 2 is a final design phase for an electronics module design, reflecting parallel design analyses functions in preparation for release to manufacturing.

The processes are reengineered using breakthrough enablers such as: RASSP concepts of model-year architecture, enterprise infrastructure, business practices, innovative organizational strategies, etc. The reengineered processes are simulated to do what-if analysis and to determine benefits of the new processes. The simulations are performed at a level of detail suitable for program management. Typical what-if analysis determines the impacts of changes to project cost, cycle-time, and resource requirements and conflicts. Such analysis can also help an organization to determine appropriate number of concurrent projects and appropriate organization size to handle these projects.

These processes are then implemented via workflow management tools, see figure 3 - 3, that integrate with the rest of the design and enterprise management tools to help manage a complex project. This example, Intergraph Design Methodology Manager tool (DMM), shows multiple levels of a RASSP hierarchical workflow - Functional Design as the leaf level process segment.

Once the new process has been implemented and the users have been trained, the process needs to be maintained and continuously improved. Maintenance is important because the user requirements change over time and new requirements come up due to changes in the marketplace or technology. The workflow tools must provide the agility to handle these changes. System maintenance costs are significant over a system's life cycle, therefore it is critical to invest in analysis and design up front to reduce the maintenance costs.

Go to the Enterprise Framework Application Note for more information on all of the RASSP generated workflows.