J-PRiM

General Information

Tool Name

J-PRiM (a Java tool for a Process Reengineering i* Methodology)

Version

1.0

Group

UPC Barcelona

Web page (if available)

http://www.lsi.upc.edu/~ggrau/JPRIM/

Main Purpose of the Tool

J-PRiM is a tool in java that supports PRiM, a methodology that addresses i* modelling and analysis from a Process Reengineering point of view. J-PRiM allows to analyse an existing information system and to represent it as a hierarchy of i* elements. Once modelled, several alternatives for the system as-is can be explored, each of one modelled as a different i* model. All the generated alternatives can be evaluated by defining and applying metrics over the i* models in order to establish which is the most appropriate for the system to-be.

i* framework supported

• Yu'95 when developing from the scratch.
• Yu'95 with some restrictions when using the methodology.

Availability of the tool

• ( ) For i* modelling only
• ( ) For development only
• (X) Both

If not available, please specify expected date of availability:

Programming Language

Java

Platform Requirements

• Java Runtime Machine 5.0
• MySQL Server 5.0 (release 5.0.22)
• Tested on Windows XP and Windows 2000

Other technology needed

• Eclipse Platform for development

Current state of the tool

Available but under improvements.

Ongoing work

We are currently improving the usability of the tool and adding examples.

i* Modelling Suitability

1. Does the tool allow SD modelling?

Yes

2. Does the tool allow SR modelling?

Yes

3. Does the tool allow working with SD & SR models jointly?

Yes
If so, please specify how (i.e., by means of expandable elements).
By allowing to see the two different views (SD or SR) of the models.

4. Does the tool allow the construction of the models graphically?

No
If so, please specify how (i.e., dragging and dropping the elements into a drawing page).

5. Does the tool allow the construction of the models textually?

Yes
If so, please specify how (i.e., filling a dependency table).

• Models are represented in a tree-form hierarchy where an element can be decomposed into other elements.
• When applying PRiM, the proposed method, models can be generated automatically after filling some specific tables (named DIS tables in the method).

6. Describe how the elements are modelled and their flexibility (i.e., the elements can be moved and reordered).

• The elements are modelled in a textual tree form hiearchy, where each element has a visual icon that shows its kind (actor, goal, resource, task, etc.)
• It is possible to change the name and kind of the element, its means-end or task decomposition links and reorder its position in the tree form hierarchy by moving the element up and down.

7. Describe how the dependency links are modelled and their flexibility (i.e., dependencies are modelled with straight lines that can not be redirected).

• The dependencies are modelled in a textual tree form hiearchy, where each element has a visual icon that shows the dependency direction.
• It is possible to change the dependency name and direction, the dependee and the depender, and reorder the dependencies by moving them up and down in the tree form hierarchy.

8. Does the tool allow automatic organization of the elements?

No. The elements are always organized in the tree form hierarchy, so no automatic organization is needed.

9. Other modelling facilities provided by the tool:

• The tool allows to zoom only on a part of a model (an actor or an SR element) by showing the tree form hierarchy with this element as a root.
• The tool allows to expand/contract all the elements of the tree form hierarchy at the same time.
• When applying the PRiM method, the tool guides the user to discover non-functional requirements (which are modelled as softgoals).

10. Does the tool check SD models?

Yes
If so, please specify how (i.e., the tool checks if all the SD dependencies are assigned).
The tool ensures that SD dependencies are always assigned, which avoids syntactically incorrect diagrams.

11. Does the tool check SR models?

Yes
If so, please specify how (i.e., checks if the SR links are correctly stated).
The tool ensures that means-end, task decomposition and contribution links are always assigned to the right elements, which avoids syntactically incorrect diagrams.

12. Other checks provided by the tool (i.e., cross validation between SD and SR models).

• When applying the PRiM method, the tool ensures the checks provided by the method (e.g., each SD dependency is assigned to an SR element)

13. Does the tool allow working with two or more models at the same time?

Yes

14. Does the tool allow to group models in projects?

Yes

15. Does the tool allow working with two or more projects at the same time?

No. It is possible to open the tool several times and have different projects in each one, but the information between the projcets cannot be shared beyond the copy and paste facilities provided by Windows.

16. What are the other functionalities that the tool provides?

• The tool allows to build models from the scratch, but also allows to build the models following the PRiM methodology:
  • Decompose the information system into activies which can be stored
  • Describe each activity in detail by using the DIS tables
  • Automatic transformation of the information in the DIS tables into an i* model
• Once the models are build, the tool allows to explore different alteratives by:
  • Automatic generation of alternatives according to some user constraints
  • Manual generation of alternatives from previously constructed i* models
• It is also possible to define structural metrics in order to evaluate some properties over the generated models.

Usability

17. Rate the understandability of the user interface

• ( ) Internal use
• (X) Ready for public use
• ( ) Has been used publicly

If it is not ready for public use, mark one or more of the following:

• ( ) not in English
• ( ) writing not polished
• ( ) poor usability (colours, ...)
• ( ) others: please specify

Expected date for public use (if any):

18. Rate the quality of the user manual

• ( ) Inexistent
• (X) Internal use
• ( ) Ready for public use
• ( ) Has been used publicly

If user manual for internal use, mark one or more of the following:

• ( ) incomplete
• ( ) obsolete
• (X) not in English (in Catalan)
• ( ) writing not polished
• ( ) others: please specify

Expected date for public use (if any):

19. Does the tool provides i* learning facilities?

Yes
If so, explain which ones (i.e., methodological guidance).

• The tool provides the PRiM methodological guidance
• Avoids the definition of syntactically incorrect models.

20. Does the tool provide any examples for the users?

No

21. Rate the difficulty of installing the tool

• ( ) Copy files and initializing paths
• (X) Copy files
• ( ) Executable installation file provided

Maturity of the Tool

22. Rate the maturity of the tool from the user point of view:

• ( ) Under Development
• ( ) Prototype
• (X) Ready for public use
• ( ) Has been used publicly

If not for public use, mark one or more of the following:

• ( ) incomplete
• ( ) occasional testing
• ( ) non-exhaustive testing
• ( ) non-persistent data
• ( ) poor efficiency
• ( ) not portable
• ( ) others: please specify

Expected date for public use (if any):

23. Has the tool been used for any case study?

Yes. The tool has been used in some academic case studies concerning a Meeting Scheduler system, an eLearning system and an eBusiness system.

24. Has the tool been tested in large models?

Yes

25. Has the tool any drawback when working with very large models?

No

26. Which is approximately the maximum size of the model (in terms of actors and dependencies) the tool has been used for?

30 actors, 500 dependencies.

Extensibility and Interoperability

27. Does the tool allow importing files?

No

28. Does the tool allow exporting files?

No

29. Does the tool allow importing/exporting the data through an XML format?

No

30. Is the architecture of the tool published?

No

31. Does the tool allow the addition of other elements outside the i* framework of the tool?

No

32. New functionalities can be added to the tool by means of:

• ( ) PLUG-IN
• (X) Open-Source code
• ( ) import & export XML
• ( ) NONE

33. Rate the maturity of the tool from for open development:

• ( ) Under Development
• (X) Prototype
• ( ) Ready for public development use
• ( ) Has been used for public development

If not for public development use, mark one or more of the following:

• ( ) incomplete code
• ( ) no help provided
• ( ) non-persistent data
• ( ) non-exhaustive testing
• ( ) poor efficiency
• ( ) not portable
• ( ) no development installation facilities provided
• (X) others: development documentation not in English (in Catalan)

Expected date for public development use (if any):

34. Is there any internal documentation for programmers?

Yes
If so, enumerate the facilities provided

• (X) Requirements specification and design decisions available
• ( ) Interface conventions
• ( ) Code conventions
• (X) Full commented code (not in English, but in Catalan)
• ( ) Examples
• ( ) others: please specify