The Power/Generality Trade-Off in Decision and Problem Modeling: Theoretical Background and Multi-level Modeling as a Resolution
- 1 Citations
- 1.4k Downloads
Abstract
A central conflict in decision and problem solving support is known as the ‘Power/Generality’ trade-off. The incorporation of a high level of domain-specific concepts and mechanisms in a decision instrument will increase the instrument’s power but will do so at the cost of the instrument’s generality. This paper has two purposes. First, it brings to attention the power/generality conflict in conceptual decision and problem solving modeling, and it demonstrates the resultant problems in relation to an existing enterprise decision modeling language. Second, the paper proposes the use of a multi-level modeling paradigm as a possible resolution of the conflict, and it proposes concrete re-conceptualizations for an existing modeling language to alleviate the associated problems.
Keywords
Decision making Problem solving Power/generality trade-off Decision modeling Multi-level modeling Enterprise modeling languageReferences
- 1.Newell, A.: Heuristic programming: ill-structured problems. In: Aronofsky, J.S. (ed.) Progress in Operations Research, vol. III, pp. 361–414. Wiley, New York (1969)Google Scholar
- 2.de Mast, J., Lokkerbol, J.: An analysis of the Six Sigma DMAIC method from the perspective of problem solving. Int. J. Prod. Econ. 139(2), 604–614 (2012)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 3.Fensel, D., Motta, E.: Structured development of problem solving methods. IEEE Trans. Knowl. Data Eng. 13(6), 913–932 (2001)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 4.Klinker, G., Bhola, C., Dallemagne, G., Marques, D., McDermott, J.: Usable and reusable programming constructs. Knowl. Acquis. 3(2), 117–135 (1991)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 5.Beys, P., Benjamins, V.R., van Heijst, G.: Remedying the reusability-usability tradeoff for problem-solving methods. In: Proceedings of the 10th Workshop on Knowledge Acquisition for Knowledge-Based Systems (KAW96) (1996)Google Scholar
- 6.Frank, U.: Multiperspektivische Unternehmensmodellierung: Theoretischer Hintergrund und Entwurf einer objektorientierten Entwicklungsumgebung. Oldenbourg, München (1994)Google Scholar
- 7.Becker, J., Delfmann, P., Knackstedt, R.: Adaptive reference modeling: integrating configurative and generic adaptation techniques for information models. In: Becker, J., Delfmann, P. (eds.) Reference Modeling, pp. 27–58. Physica, Heidelberg (2007)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 8.Winter, R.: Design solution analysis for the construction of situational design methods. In: Ralyté, J., Mirbel, I., Deneckère, R. (eds.) ME 2011. IAICT, vol. 351, pp. 19–33. Springer, Heidelberg (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-19997-4_4CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 9.Goldstein, W.M., Weber, E.U.: Content and discontent: indications and implications of domain specificity in preferential decision making. In: Goldstein, W.M., Hogarth, R.M. (eds.) Research on Judgment and Decision Making, pp. 566–617. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge and New York (1997)Google Scholar
- 10.Object Management Group: Decision model and notation: Beta 1. OMG Document dtc/2014-02-01 (2014)Google Scholar
- 11.Plataniotis, G., de Kinderen, S., Proper, H.A.: EA Anamnesis: an approach for decision making analysis in enterprise architecture. Int. J. Inf. Syst. Model. Des. 5(3), 75–95 (2014)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 12.Bock, A.: Beyond narrow decision models: toward integrative models of organizational decision processes. In: 17th IEEE Conference on Business Informatics (CBI 2015), pp. 181–190. IEEE Computer Society (2015)Google Scholar
- 13.Horkoff, J., Barone, D., Jiang, L., Yu, E.S., Amyot, D., Borgida, A., Mylopoulos, J.: Strategic business modeling: representation and reasoning. Softw. Syst. Model. 13(3), 1015–1041 (2014)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 14.Fill, H.G., Karagiannis, D.: On the conceptualisation of modelling methods using the ADOxx meta modelling platform. Enterp. Model. Inf. Syst. Archit. 8(1), 4–25 (2013)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 15.Object Management Group: OMG Unified Modeling Language (OMG UML), Infrastructure: Version 2.4.1. OMG Document formal/2011-08-05Google Scholar
- 16.Atkinson, C., Gutheil, M., Kennel, B.: A flexible infrastructure for multilevel language engineering. IEEE Trans. Softw. Eng. 35(6), 742–755 (2009)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 17.Frank, U.: Multilevel modeling: toward a new paradigm of conceptual modeling and information systems design. Bus. Inf. Syst. Eng. 6(6), 319–337 (2014)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 18.Carvalho, V.A., Almeida, J.P.A.: Toward a well-founded theory for multi-level conceptual modeling. Softw. Syst. Model. 17(1), 205–231 (2018)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 19.Frank, U.: Enterprise modelling: the next steps. Enterp. Model. Inf. Syst. Archit. 9(1), 22–37 (2014)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 20.Chen, P.P.S.: The entity-relationship model–toward a unified view of data. ACM Trans. Database Syst. 1(1), 9–36 (1976)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 21.Graham, I.: Object Oriented Methods, 2nd edn. Addison-Wesley, Wokingham (1994)Google Scholar
- 22.Hastie, R.: Problems for judgment and decision making. Annu. Rev. Psychol. 52, 653–683 (2001)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 23.Keeney, R.L.: Decision analysis: an overview. Oper. Res. 30(5), 803–838 (1982)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 24.Simon, H.A.: The New Science of Management Decision, Revised edn. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs (1977)Google Scholar
- 25.Lundberg, C.C.: Administrative decisions: a scheme for analysis. In: Gore, W.J., Dyson, J.W. (eds.) The Making of Decisions, pp. 17–30. Free Press, New York (1964)Google Scholar
- 26.Kirsch, W.: Entscheidungsprozesse: Erster Band: Verhaltenswissenschaftliche Ansätze der Entscheidungstheorie. Gabler, Wiesbaden (1970)Google Scholar
- 27.Jonassen, D.H., Hung, W.: Problem solving. In: Seel, N.M. (ed.) Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning, pp. 2680–2683. Springer, New York (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1428-6_208CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 28.Dery, D.: Decision-making, problem-solving and organizational learning. Omega 11(4), 321–328 (1983)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 29.Bock, A., Kattenstroth, H., Overbeek, S.J.: Towards a modeling method for supporting the management of organizational decision processes. In: Fill, H.G., Karagiannis, D., Reimer, U. (eds.) Modellierung 2014. Lecture Notes in Informatics, vol. P-225, pp. 49–64. Gesellschaft für Informatik, Bonn (2014)Google Scholar
- 30.Bock, A., Frank, U.: MEMO GoalML: a context-enriched modeling language to support reflective organizational goal planning and decision processes. In: Comyn-Wattiau, I., Tanaka, K., Song, I.-Y., Yamamoto, S., Saeki, M. (eds.) ER 2016. LNCS, vol. 9974, pp. 515–529. Springer, Cham (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46397-1_40CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 31.Frank, U.: Multi-perspective enterprise modeling: foundational concepts, prospects and future research challenges. Softw. Syst. Model. 13(3), 941–962 (2014)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- 32.Strecker, S., Heise, D., Frank, U.: RiskM: a multi-perspective modeling method for it risk assessment. Inf. Syst. Front. 13(4), 595–611 (2011)CrossRefGoogle Scholar