A language-based approach to building CSCW systems

Abstract

An architecture is given for computer supported cooperative work (CSCW) systems that maintains and executes an explicit model of a project-specific process to provide customized support for enforcing the team coordination policies that are represented in the process model. One focus of this research has been the design of a process programming language for building executable process models. The language provides features for data, activity and user role modelling. A process program executed by a generic virtual machine is the basis of a customized CSCW system. The authors present a characterization of the different dimensions of a CSCW system, describe the proposed process programming language and evaluate the expressibility of the language by demonstrating, with examples, how it can be used to generate CSCW systems with different characteristics. >