Defining SPEM 2 Process Constraints with Semantic Rules Using SWRL

The Software & Systems Process Engineering meta-model (SPEM 2) allows the modelling of software process using OMG’s MOF meta-model and UML profiles, thus being compliant with UML tools. Process definition encompasses both the static structure of activities, roles, tasks and work products and the constraints on those elements. The latter require support for constraint enforcement that is not directly available in SPEM 2. Such constraint-checking behaviour could be used to detect mismatches between process definitions and the actual processes being carried out in the course of a project. This paper approaches the modelling of such constraints using the SWRL (Semantic Web Rule Language) W3C recommendation, using an underlying OWL representation of SPEM 2 models that can be directly derived from their XMI serialization.