Breakdowns in Controls in Automated Systems

Breakdowns in Controls in Automated Systems §considers the problem of failing to satisfy §organizational control requirements (control §requirements) in automated systems. The significant §economic, social, and political consequences of §failing to satisfy control requirements are §discussed for background, using examples from well-§publicized failures in government, business, and the §military. A solution to the problem, called the §Meta-Artifact Process (MAP) is discussed in detail, §with comparisons to existing processes. MAP adds §three extensions to Object-Oriented Domain Analysis, §and uses knowledge management techniques to make §tacit knowledge explicit in the Meta-Artifact, one §of the extensions. Domain rules, which characterize §a domain, form the basis of MAP''s second extension, §Domain Rules Analysis. The Bifurcated Architecture, §the third extension, allocates aspects of the §system likely to change frequently, such as business §rules, to an external repository as data, rather §than to software code. Managing the most frequently §changed aspects of the system through an external §repository reduces maintenance costs and improves §reliability.