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Glossary of Terms
For humans, power is EMMI and access to EMMI. Objects value
EMMI as their means to make things happen. The rate of doing
work is another form of power, as mediated by an object’s output
EMMI. Fundamentally, every object has a mechanism to transform EMMI into an output; therefore every object has some measure of power.
Prediction: A prediction is a probabilistic statement that something will
happen in the future based on what is known today. A prediction
generally assumes that future changes in related conditions will not
have a significant influence. In this sense, a prediction is most influenced by the “initial conditions”—the current situation from which
we predict a change.
Price: The amount of EMMI that is required to acquire an object or process.
Principle: Principles are general and fundamental statements that are comprehensive in their applicability and in general agreement with what
people observe.
Problem: In general, a problem is perceived to be a source of difficulty, harm,
unwelcomeness, or perplexity that someone or something needs to
remedy. The determination of a need by an affected stakeholder to
identify the set(s) of problems is an essential ingredient to identifying possible alternative solutions that are deemed adequate and
acceptable. Disagreement over what is the problem will carry over
into which solutions are adequate. Disagreement as to the solutions
will indicate which problems are acceptable to solve. If there is
agreement over what the problem is, yet the solutions are found to
be unacceptable by various stakeholders, then the problem is either
misstated or symptomatic of another more fundamental problem.
Procedure: Procedure is a step-by-step outline of what must be done.
Process: A process can be articulated as a systematic pattern, a coordinated
set of procedures, tasks, activities, or acts that result from the conversion of inputs into outputs. Process is the amalgamation of activities and tools that combine ideas. A process requires all things that
are both necessary and sufficient to accomplish or achieve an
intended output. Processes are comparable to other processes,
subjectively. From an integration perspective, processes guide the
work.
Generalizing from definitions of software processes by Humphrey
(1989) and Lonchamp (1993), a process is a partially organized set of
activities, tools, and practices carried out by humans who are constrained by, for example, resources, budgets, schedules, scope, and
policies.
Process frame: The frame whose domain is processes and their relations and
behaviors.
Process model: The systems engineering process model describes the
stages in which the project team focuses on various milestones and