Business and IT perspectives on AMORE: a methodology using object-orientation in re-engineering enterprises

This paper is both an outline and a critique of AMORE, A Methodology Based on Object-Orientation for Re-engineering Enterprises that is being developed at the University of Warwick under the auspices of EPSRC grant GR/M02675. The methodology involves two principal phases, which deal with re-engineering from business and software viewpoints respectively. AMORE proposes models and guidelines that are intended to achieve a closer integration between these two viewpoints than is possible with alternative approaches. To this end, it exploits business domain modelling that takes account of the business factors (such as goals, location and organisational structure) that influence the design of processes. The prospects for AMORE are reviewed first with reference to current thinking on BPR and software development for business information systems by IT specialists such as Jacobson and Warboys, and subsequently with reference to business applications of a new computer-based modelling paradigm that are being developed in parallel with AMORE by Beynon and Russ in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Warwick.