MODELING AND SIMULATION IN ENTERPRISE INTEGRATION - A FRAMEWORK AND AN APPLICATION IN THE OFFSHORE OIL INDUSTRY

This paper presents a framework and methodology that make systematic u se of model definition, formalization, and analysis to enhance enterpr ise integration in engineering projects. Our definition of enterprise models is based on a philosophy for thinking about enterprise in terms of ''an Organization, carrying out a set of Processes to create one o r more Products which satisfy predefined Objectives.'' This framework, which we have denoted the OPPO, illustrates our belief that enterpris e models must give a complete and correct description of relevant aspe cts of reality in order to address their stated purpose. Based on the OPPO framework and an information processing view of project enterpris e, we formalize our models using a methodology:or describing coordinat ion requirements. This is based on a set of interaction matrices to de velop so-called ''houses of complexity, uncertainty and interdependenc e'' that describe important dependencies between project requirements (objectives), deliverables (products), activities (process), and team members (organization). We use these dependencies as a basis for deriv ing measures of the coordination which must take place between various project participants during project execution. We can then use these coordination requirements as input to analysis, in the Virtual Design Team (VDT) object oriented discrete event simulation environment. The simulation results can be used for systematically assessing predicted effects of proposed changes. The framework, methodology, and analysis is illustrated by an example from engineering design of subsea modules for oil and gas production in offshore field development. The results from simulation give various performance measures, including critical path duration, work volume (a substitute for cost), and process perfo rmance in coordination (error handling and communication attendance).