Integration of system dynamics modelling with descriptive process modelling and goal-oriented measurement

Abstract

One of the obstacles that seem to impede a more frequent application of the modelling and simulation approach system dynamics (SD) in the software engineering community is the lack of well-defined and repeatable procedures for generating or using information that (a) stems from real industrial software development practice and (b) is suitable for SD model building. This problem can be resolved, at least partially, by combining SD modelling with already existing and commonly used static modelling methods, namely software process modelling and measurement-based quantitative modelling. To illustrate the feasibility of such a combination, in this paper, an approach is proposed that complements SD modelling with descriptive process modelling and goal-oriented measurement performed according to the principles of the well-established goal/question/metric (GQM) paradigm. The new approach is called integrated measurement, modelling and simulation (IMMoS). It originates in lessons learnt from an extensive industrial SD modelling activity.