Case study: Net-centric mission threads modeling and analysis using BPMN

Fast growing COTS support of converging service oriented architecture (SOA) and business process modeling (BPM) standards provide the DOD with an excellent opportunity to improve its process to develop integrated operational and system architectures for net centric warfare capabilities. Mission threads, widely identified as a desirable method to capture DOD acquisition requirements, modeled in a machine- executable form, can validate and verify (V&V) operational performance early in the acquisition process. Available cost effective COTS solutions automate the integration of executable mission models providing agility and speed to that V&V process. This enables mission thread collaborative development, successive simultaneous refinements (by various stakeholders), and early simulation based verifications of innovative information flow strategies, which are now implementable via Global Information Grid (GIG) capabilities. Mission threads currently use various non-executable (static) documents such as Microsoft Officereg products, Microsoft Visioreg files, Unified Modeling Language (UML) sequence diagrams and/or DoDAF (DOD Architecture Framework) products. These documentation methods served well for Threat Based Acquisition, where the mission threads were primary defined early in the acquisition process. However, thes e methods are not adequate in dealing with the evolving net centric mission thread complexities arising from concurrent execution of operational activities, systems, and communication channels. Additionally, the acquisition process requires constant improvement and refinement to the mission threads developed in the beginning of the process. The GIG provides an opportunity to push and/or pull data, information, and knowledge to/from various data producers and consumers and enables valuable information to get to the right place at the right time. The GIG allows altering information strategies based on the situation awareness of mission and the infrastructure and allows the commander to post his intent. Data sources can respond by providing relevant information to the commander. These alternative information flow strategies must be evaluated and validated prior to the material acquisition by the DOD. This case study experiments were performed with the BPMN (Business Process Modeling Notation) standard, developed for B2B (Business-to-Business) Enterprise interactions, to model and simulate information flow in the GIG mission threads. The experiments used inexpensive BPMN standards-based COTS tools to model and analyze alternative F2T2 (Find, Fix, Track, Target) information flow strategies for a well known DOD TST (Time-Sensitive-Targeting) mission thread. The case study concludes that COTS tools, such as iGraFx Process 2006 for Six Sigma, are cost effective implementations of the BPMN standard and have reached the maturity level required to meet the technology needs of DOD net centric mission thread modeling and simulation-based quantitative analysis. Other COTS tools, such as Minitab, can readily be applied for statistical analysis at the mission level. The case study analysis also offers a means to project the operational capacity of the current operational and system architecture in terms of the maximum number of targets that can be engaged within the TST time constraints. Dr. Prem Jain is supporting Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) to Research and Develop new methods and technologies, needed to support GIG Test and Evaluation (T&E). He joined MITRE in October 2005 from BAE Systems "Center for Transformation". He has spent over 20 years in Electronic Design Automation industry and was the CEO of the company"Cynergy System Design/ CAE Plus", which developed "System on a Chip" architecture analysis and architectural synthesis tools using its patented graphical executable language, synthesis algorithms and synchronous time sliced simulation. During 1988-1992, he was a faculty member in the Computer Science department of University of Texas in Austin. He received his B. Tech in EE from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, India, Masters and PhD is in EE from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York.