An engineering approach for the design of hybrid modelling methods

Abstract

A fast moving business environment requires flexible and open conceptual modelling approaches for the discussion of diverse needs from the business point of view. In the conception and design of these business needs and resulting requirements, manifold modelling languages and methods on different levels of the realisation process are available. Despite their number, flexibility in this paper is referred to the exchange of ‘building blocks’ of modelling frameworks and the composition of hybrid modelling methods. That this claim for flexibility does neither affect efficiency nor goes at the account of a sound conception of the hybrid modelling method, a deliberate procedure comprising different steps is required. We call this procedure conceptualisation. At the end of this procedure an implementation on a meta-modelling platform is performed and the result of the conceptualisation process is a ‘deployable tool’. Furthermore we imply the hybrid modelling method is of a graphical, semi-formal kind and based on a meta-modelling approach. The conceptualisation is a platform dependent activity. In the paper at hand the meta-modelling platform ADOxx® is used.