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Subject: on UML, target audience, document structure ...
I'm currently trying to catch up on email and realize I haven't gotten SOA-RM email for a couple days, so please excuse if this is covering old territory. (Also, if this gets a bit long in the tooth, please just skip to the bottom and see another reference I suggest we look at.) There have been many thoughtful posts on these subjects. I agree with Rex Brooks that we need to go about this systematically because in my experience if we don't, we will redo much and revisit issues which should be long since buried. Rebekah Metz brought up the numerous potential audiences and while we can't be everything to everyone, if we can't clearly describe our results to anyone but the experts, then we miss our opportunity to have a real impact. This said, I agree with Greg Kohring that we need clear unambiguous (possibly multiple) presentations, and the presentation will need to be clear and appropriate for each audience we choose to address. So I suggest the following: 1. Let's begin by figuring out what we have to say. This should start with collecting (and challenging) our assumptions about what an SOA is, what it does (or helps us do), and why we care. Don't worry at first how to capture it formally - let the initial capture be the challenge for our editing crew. 2. As we begin to understand the domain, let's consider how it naturally partitions itself. Part of that will be technical, part will be the audiences for which we'll need to emphasize (or expand upon) which aspects. 3. Then let's figure out the best way to present and refine our ideas. For those that cringe that we'll wander forever, that will only happen if we always express new ideas without giving any context for what has already been said. So when you bring something into the conversation, say what it connects to, what it adds to, or what it is juxtaposed against as a different way to view the problem. Do I guarantee this will converge? Well, let's say I'm cautiously optimistic. What I do know is that a false sense of structure does not make hard points any easier and can deter making real progress. Enough on general philosophy, as a concrete contribution, I suggest looking at the OWL-S work (http://www.w3.org/Submission/2004/SUBM-OWL-S-20041122/). I am not endorsing their solution but they have thought a lot about the problems and needs for describing services and making services work. Their figures use a concept map (directed line graph) approach, so also look at this as an example of presentation and see how you like (or dislike) it. I haven't yet read the companion document is OWL-S' Relationship to Selected Other Technologies (http://www.w3.org/Submission/2004/SUBM-OWL-S-related-20041122/). Enough already :-) Ken ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------ Ken Laskey MITRE Corporation, M/S H305 phone: 703-883-7934 7515 Colshire Drive fax: 703-883-1379 McLean VA 22102-7508
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