Eclipse Process Framework Composer : Part 2 : Authoring method content and processes

Part Two of this introduction to the Eclipse Process Framework Composer (EPF Composer) details the concepts that define method content and processes in EPF, and explains cataloging method content and defining processes, with examples.ter. He is solution architect for the IBM Rational Method Composer product platform and responsible for defining next generation process engineering tools. He represents IBM at the OMG in the SPEM 2.0 initiative. In Part One of this two-part introduction to EPF Composer I discussed key concepts and typical usage scenarios for the tool. In Part Two, I will provide more details about the concepts that define method content and processes in EPF. I will start by reviewing the three main elements for building method content namely , roles, tasks, and work products-and their relationships. I will then discuss guidance and the different kinds of guidance supported by EPF Composer. I will show you how to organize catalogs of your method content using standard and custom categories. I will then move on to defining processes in EPF Composer providing you with a rationale for EPF's process representation and walking you through a set of examples for the different kind of processes you can use and create in EPF Composer. The paper presents the EPF Composer version 1.0.2 that is available as a free download under the Eclipse Public license at the EPF homepage 14. IBM also offers a commercial version of the EPF Composer tool named IBM Rational Method Composer 15 (RMC) that ships with the IBM Rational Unified Process (RUP) and provides additional enterprise capabilities not described in this article. [Note: The number of sections (beginning with Section 4) in this article, figures (beginning with Figure 9) and footnotes (beginning with footnote number 17) is an intentional continuation from Part One.] 4 Managing intellectual capital and assets as method content and guidance Let's consider the three main elements for building method content-roles, tasks, and work products-and their relationships. One of the most commonly quoted phrases in software engineering literature is " software development is a team sport, " 16 indicating that software is (still) created by human developers who perform development tasks in which they heavily collaborate and exchange the products of their work with each other. In that sense, the Eclipse Process Framework applies the very common and even a standardized approach 17 to define development methods, as depicted in Figure 9, by identifying development …