A Framework of Issues in Large Process Modelling Projects

As process management projects have increased in size due to globalised and company-wide initiatives, a corresponding growth in the size of process modeling projects can be observed. Despite advances in languages, tools and methodologies, several aspects of these projects have been largely ignored by the academic community. This paper makes a first contribution to a potential research agenda in this field by defining the characteristics of large-scale process modeling projects and proposing a framework of related issues. These issues are derived from a semi -structured interview and six focus groups conducted in Australia, Germany and the USA with enterprise and modeling software vendors and customers. The focus groups confirm the existence of unresolved problems in business process modeling projects. The outcomes provide a research agenda which directs researchers into further studies in global process management, process model decomposition and the overall governance of process modeling projects. It is expected that this research agenda will provide guidance to researchers and practitioners by focusing on areas of high theoretical and practical relevance.

Developing a vision for an nD modelling tool

The design of a building is a complicated process, having to formulate diverse components through unique tasks involving different personalities and organisations in order to satisfy multi-faceted client requirements. To do this successfully, the project team must encapsulate an integrated design that accommodates various social, economic and legislative factors. Therefore, in this era of increasing global competition integrated design has been increasingly recognised as a solution to deliver value to clients.----- The ‘From 3D to nD modelling’ project at the University of Salford aims to support integrated design; to enable and equip the design and construction industry with a tool that allows users to create, share, contemplate and apply knowledge from multiple perspectives of user requirements (accessibility, maintainability, sustainability, acoustics, crime, energy simulation, scheduling, costing etc.). Thus taking the concept of 3-dimensional computer modelling of the built environment to an almost infinite number of dimensions, to cope with whole-life construction and asset management issues in the design of modern buildings. This paper reports on the development of a vision for how integrated environments that will allow nD-enabled construction and asset management to be undertaken. The project is funded by a four-year platform grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) in the UK; thus awarded to a multi-disciplinary research team, to enable flexibility in the research strategy and to produce leading innovation. This paper reports on the development of a business process and IT vision for how integrated environments will allow nD-enabled construction and asset management to be undertaken. It further develops many of the key issues of a future vision arising from previous CIB W78 conferences.

Vaughan, Suzi and Armstrong, Wendy (2009) Threads of tension. In: Vaughan, Suzi and Schmidt, Christine Margaret, (eds.) Five Fashion Musings. Post Pressed, Brisbane, Qld, pp. 9-15.

five:fashion musings is an upcoming 2009 publicaton to celebrate the fashion discipline's five-year milestone at the Queensland Unviesity of Technology. it represents a body of work by fashion practitioners, aceademic and educators commissioned to explore their research in fashion theory, practice and pedogogy through five key themes.

The mechanics of disc degeneration from an engineering and computational modelling viewpoint

The anatomy and microstructure of the spine and in particular the intervertebral disc are intimately linked to how they operate in vivo and how they distribute loads to the adjacent musculature and bony anatomy. The degeneration of the intervertebral discs may be characterised by a loss of hydration, loss of disc height, a granular texture and the presence of annular lesions. As such, degeneration of the intervertebral discs compromises the mechanical integrity of their components and results in adaption and modification in the mechanical means by which loads are distributed between adjacent spinal motion segments.

A new measure to quantify chest wall deformity in scoliosis patients : does rib hump measurement correlate with anterior chest wall deformity post surgery?

The primary aims of scoliosis surgery are to halt the progression of the deformity, and to reduce its severity (cosmesis). Currently, deformity correction is measured in terms of posterior parameters (Cobb angles and rib hump), even though the cosmetic concern for most patients is anterior chest wall deformity. In this study, we propose a new measure for assessing anterior chest wall deformity and examine the correlation between rib hump and the new measure. 22 sets of CT scans were retrieved from the QUT/Mater Paediatric Spinal Research Database. The Image J software (NIH) was used to manipulate formatted CT scans into 3-dimensional anterior chest wall reconstructions. A ‘chest wall angle’ was then measured in relation to the first sacral vertebral body. The chest wall angle was found to be a reliable tool in the analysis of chest wall deformity. No correlation was found between the new measure and rib hump angle. Since rib hump has been shown to correlate with vertebral rotation on CT, this suggests that there maybe no correlation between anterior and posterior deformity measures. While most surgical procedures will adequately address the coronal imbalance & posterior rib hump elements of scoliosis, they do not reliably alter the anterior chest wall shape. This implies that anterior chest wall deformity is to a large degree an intrinsic deformity, not directly related to vertebral rotation.