Agent-Oriented Methodologies - Towards A Challenge Exemplar.

Abstract

The agent-oriented approach to software development is transitioning from the prototyping done by researchers to the development of large-scale industrial-strength applications by software professionals. For this to succeed, methodologies are needed to systematically guide and support developers through the various stages of system development. A number of agent-oriented methodologies have been proposed recently, offering a variety of conceptual frameworks, notations, techniques, and methodological steps. The diversity of approaches offers rich resources for developers to draw on, but can also be a hindrance to progress if their commonalities and divergences are not readily understood. One way to establish a common context for probing and relating various methodologies is to define and adopt a standardized example setting (or "exemplar") to focus discussion and debate. This paper proposes an exemplar from the health care domain. It is structured into a set of scenarios, supplemented by a series of questions to be posed to each methodology. We consider how an exemplar might serve the needs of the agent-oriented methodology community, and discuss the criteria for selecting an exemplar.