Model Oriented Domain Analysis & Engineering

Model-oriented domain analysis and engineering (MODA + MODE) is a methodology for product line engineering and life cycle management which can be used to uncover, formalise, validate, and creatively (re)use the knowledge inherent in any knowledge-intensive living system, economic ecosystem or organisation. MODA + MODE extends back to 1994, with roots in W. Edwards Deming’s System of Profound Knowledge and conceptual modelling.

MODA + MODE offer a systematic approach for:

  • Conducting commonality and variability analysis across the needs of an economic sector or industry.
  • Translating the tacit knowledge, which often resides within the heads of domain experts, or which is sometimes buried in difficult-to-maintain software code, into explicit knowledge that does not decay over time.
  • Integrating the knowledge of multiple domain experts in a transdisciplinary context, and addressing the challenges of conflicting notations and terminologies.
  • Streamlining the development of new products and services.
  • Creating advanced domain-specific automation solutions that lead to severalfold improvements in quality, reliability, and productivity.

The MODA + MODE approach is supported by a visual formal semantic modelling paradigm that is based on a combination of systems thinking and software product line management and engineering research and practice.

MODA + MODE is regularly used for analysing ecological problems, human social problems, and socio-technological design and automation challenges. The model oriented conceptual foundations of MODA + MODE are comprised of the following elements: