Archives: Templates

Templates and model types in the QualiWare platform.

Product

This definition covers both intangible, services-based, or information products that are common in information-intensive organizations, and tangible, physical products. A financial or information product consists of a collection of services, and a contract that specifies the characteristics, rights, and requirements associated with the product. “Buying” a product gives the customer the right to use the associated services.
Generally, the product element is used to specify a product type. The number of product types in an organization is typically relatively stable compared to, for example, the processes that realize or support the products. “Buying” is usually one of the services associated with a product, which results in a new instance of that product (belonging to a specific customer). Similarly, there may be services to modify or destroy a product.
A product may aggregate or compose business services, application services, and technology services, business objects, data objects, and technology objects, as well as a contract. Hence a product may aggregate or compose elements from other layers than the Business Layer.
A value may be associated with a product. The name of a product is usually the name which is used in the communication with customers, or possibly a more generic noun (e.g., “travel insurance”).

Product properties

The Product tab

Property  Metamodel name Description
Short description ShortDescription
Implements Implements Links to: All templates.
BreaksDownTo BreaksDownTo Links to: All templates.

Project Activity

A ProjectActivity is used on a WorkModel to show the phases/activities planned to be carried out in a project. For each ProjectActivity the Results and the corresponding QualityControls are linked to the ProjectActivity and the documents produced and used in the project are specified in the form of DocumentStructures. Using this technique the quality plan for the project can be documented before project start, – project experiences may be related to the quality plan as the project moves along, – and the plan may be reused in future projects.
In a highlevel WorkModel the ProjectActivites may break down to a new WorkModel, but at the lowest level ProjectActivities may break down to low level ProjectActivites each producing a single deliverable (Result).

ProjectActivities are also used in CPMDiagram to describe the tasks and their mutual time constraints. This way a critical path through a given project can be discovered and a detailed plan of the relationships between dates, activities and resources can be made.
Since the nature of a ProjectActivity appearing on a work model is of a generic descriptive kind – especially on the higher levels of the work model hierarchy – it will be logical to break such an activity down to a CPMDiagram. The ProjectActivities on the CPMDiagram will then describe when and by whom the work is to be carried out in the project. The activities on a CPMDiagram satisfies precisely the requirements the project manager has while planning and monitoring the project. Whereas the activities on the work model are made with the purpose of guiding and controlling the organisation through standardized procedures and quality management strategies.

ProjectActivity properties

The ProjectActivity tab

Property  Metamodel name Description
Short Description ShortDescription Short verbal description
Purpose Purpose Short clear description of the purpose of this activity in the project
Prerequisites Prerequisites Descriptions of deliverables and conditions for this activity to start
Responsible HasResponsible Link to the responsible for this activity
Links to: InterestGroup, OrganizationUnit, Person, Position, Resource, Role.
Involved Employs The resources used by this activity
Links to: InterestGroup, OrganizationUnit, Person, Position, Resource, Role.

The Dates tab

Property  Metamodel name Description
Earliest start EarliestStart In this field the date for the earliest start of this Activity is entered. The date can be entered manually or the field can be filled with the use of the menu option Calculate earliest or Calculate both directions on a CPMDiagram.
Earliest finish EarliestFinish In this field the date for the earliest finish of this Activity is entered. The date can be entered manually or the field can be filled with the use of the menu option Calculate earliest or on Calculate both directions a CPMDiagram.
Latest start LatestStart In this field the date for the latest start of this Activity is entered. The date can be entered manually or the field can be filled with the use of the menu option Calculate latest or Calculate earliest on a CPMDiagram.
Latest finish LatestFinish In this field the date for the latest finish for this Activity is entered. The date can be entered manually or the field can be filled with the use of the menu option Calculate latest or Calculate earliest on a CPMDiagram.
Optimistic OptimisticDuration This field is used to give a very optimistic estimation of the duration of the activity. The value of the field should mark the 1 percentile of the propability distribution. This means that there should be less than 1 % propability that the duration will be shorter than the value of this field.

The shortest possible time period used to perform this activity.
Total slack TotalSlack Gives a slack value based on the assumption, that all preceeding activities are carried out as early as possible, and all succeeding activities are carried out as late as possible. The field can be filled with the use of the menu point Calculate slack on a CPMDiagram.
Group
Group
Realistic RealisticDuration The most likely time period used to perform this activity.
Free slack FreeSlack Gives a slack value based on the assumption, that all preceeding and succeeding activities are carried out as early as possible. The field can be filled with the use of the menu option Calculate slack on a CPMDiagram.
Pessimistic PessimisticDuration This field is used to give a very pessimistic estimation of the duration of this activity. The value of the field should mark the 99 percentile of the propability distribution. This means that there should be less than 1 % propability that the duration will be longer than the value of this field.
The longest possible time period used to perform this activity.
Independent slack IndependentSlack Gives a slack value based on the assumption, that all preceeding activities are carried out as late as possible, and all succeeding activities are carried out as early as possible. The field can be filled with the use of the menu option Calculate slack on a CPMDiagram.
Start Date ActualStartDate The actual starting date of the activity
End Date ActualEndDate The actual ending date of the activity
Group
Number of spent time units ActualSpentTimeUnits In this field the actual number of spent persondays for the activity is entered. If this field contains a value the value is used instead of the planned estimation parameters, when a total estimation including the activity is made. In this way an estimation process that includes allready finished activities will use the actual numbers instead of the planned numbers.
Time unit for Duration and Slack TimeUnit The unit for time measurement for this Activity.
Choices are:
Seconds
Minutes
Hours
Days
Weeks
Months
Years

The Breaks Down To tab

Property  Metamodel name Description
Breaks Down To BreaksDownTo Links to entities specifying this project activity
Links to: CPMDiagram, ProjectActivity, WorkBreakdownStructure, WorkModel.
Result Produces Link to deliverable for a low-level ProjectActivity
Links to: Result.

The Relations tab

Property  Metamodel name Description
Relevant generic processes UsesGenericProcess Links to: Activity, WorkFlowDiagram.
Relevant Documents HasRelevantDocument Links to: ConfigurationDiagram, ExternalDocument.
Belongs to Organization BelongsToOrganization Links to: OrganizationDiagram, OrganizationUnit.

The Cost tab

Property  Metamodel name Description
Group
Multiplier PlannedMultiplier Planned estimation parameters. These parameters are used to define and store the cost estimation model an organization is using in order to estimate the size and costs for a specific project. Using the three fields multiplier, exponent and projectsize the definition of an exponential function relating project size to effort can be defined. Consequently a total estimated effort for a hierarchy of workmodels and activities can be calculated. This is done from the workmodel menu.

Multiplier. In this field the planned multiplier for the activity can be entered. The multiplier will be calculated from the key figures for the organisation, based on the organizations experience with activities like the current, the skill level of the project group, the use of tools etc.
Exponent PlannedExponent In this field the exponent for the function can be entered. If the exponent has the value one, the multiplier will denote the slope of the curve of the function.
Size PlannedProjectSize In this field the project size can be entered. The project size can be measured in all kinds of units such as function points.
Group
Injections PlannedInjections In this multiline field the planned income to the project during the current activity can be entered. The purpose of doing this is to be able to calculate the cash flow of the project.
Withdrawals PlannedWithdrawels In this multiline field the planned cost for the activity can be entered
Group
Multiplier ActualMultiplier In this field the actual multiplier for the activity is entered.
Exponent ActualExponent In this field the actual value of the exponent for the activity is entered.
Size ActualProjectSize In this field the actual project size is entered.
Group
Injections ActualInjections In this multiline field the actual cost to the project during this activity is entered
Withdrawals ActualWithdrawels In this field the actual cost from the project during this activity is entered.

The Techniques tab

Property  Metamodel name Description
Use technique UseTechnique Links to technique instructions
Links to: Document, ExternalDocument, Technique.
Tool Tool Link to tool-specifications for this result
Links to: ExternalDocument, InformationSystem.
Good Practice examples GoodPractice Link to files showing good examples
Links to: All templates.

The Show tab

Property  Metamodel name Description
Show on WorkModel Show Set diagram view for this ProjectActivity
Choices are:

The Action tab

Property  Metamodel name Description
Macro Macro This field is used to create a command language program that can be executed when the user double clicks on the symbol.
Execute on Double-click ExecuteOnDoubleClick Macro is always executed when double clicking on the symbol.
Initial value is off.

Critical Success Factor

A CriticalSuccessFactor is used to describe the state that the organization must reach in order to meet its objectives.

Criterion

A subject area of the EFQM Excellence model. A Criterion aggregates the results from the relevant SubCriterions held on a lower level BusinessExcellenceDiagram

Cost Driver

An important subject directly correlated with the consumption of resources in an activity.

Corrective Action

The purpose of a Corrective Action is to repair the consequences of an incident, a Non-conformance or a Control Deficiency.

The Corrective Action can in its properties be described with

  • a short description
  • link to the one responsible for it
  • link to related Non-conformances (or incident/control deficiency)
  • Link to relevant  Goals
  • description of recommended corrective actions
  • the date of the recommendation
  • the due date of implementing the recommendation
  • estimated cost of the recommended corrective action
  • link to the person responsible for making the recommendation
  • the start and end date of the implementation of the recommended action
  • link to the person responsible for the implementation of the recommended corrective action
  • actual cost of the non-conformance (or incident/control deficiency)
  • actual cost of the corrective action
  • a description of the corrective action taken
  • the closing date of the non-conformance/incident/control deficiency

Control Store

A ControlStore is used to model a temporary storing of control information.

It is possible to see the ControlStore as a buffer that stores control information until a Process is ready to receive it.
It is also possible to see the ControlStore as a semaphore where f.ex. binary signals can toggle the value of the ControlStore between ‘positive’ and ‘negative’.

An example of the use of ControlStores is the use of queue semaphores in a kernal of an operating system.

Control Process

A ControlProcess is producing output flows from interpretations of input flows. Usually the flows will be of the type ControlFlow.
An output ControlFlow is used by the ControlPocess to activate a Process.
An input flow indicates to the ControlProcess that another process has finished its activities. It can also indicate that an event has happened that the ControlProcess has to act upon.