Object-Process Methodology for Structure-Behavior Co-Design

Function, structure, and behavior are the three major facets of any system. Structure and behavior are two inseparable system aspects, as no system can be faithfully modeled without considering both in tandem. Object-Process Methodology (OPM) is a systems paradigm and language that combines structure-behavior co-design requirements with cognitive considerations. Based on formal mathematical foundations of graph grammars and a subset of natural language, OPM caters to human intuition in a bimodal way via graphics and auto-generated natural language text. In a nutshell, OPM processes transform objects by creating them, consuming them, or changing their states. The concurrent representation of structure and behavior in the same, single diagram type is balanced, creating synergy whereby each aspect helps understanding the other. This chapter defines and demonstrates the principles and elements of OPM, showing its benefits in facilitating structure-behavior co-design and achieving formal, semantically-sound, and humanly accessible conceptual models of complex systems in a host of domains and at virtually any complexity level. 5.1 The Cognitive Assumptions and OPM’s Design Text and graphics are two complementary modalities that our brains process interchangeably. Conceptual modeling, which is recognized as a critical step in architecting and designing systems, is an intellectual activity that can greatly benefit from concurrent utilization of the verbal and visual channels of human cognition. A conceptual modeling framework that employs graphics and text can alleviate cognitive loads (Dori, 2008). OPM is a bimodal