Identifying Commonalities and Differences in Object Life Cycles Using Behavioral Inheritance

The behavioral-inheritance relations of [7, 8] can be used to compare the life cycles of objects de ned in terms of Petri nets. They yield partial orders on object life cycles (OLCs). Based on these orders, we de ne concepts such as the greatest common divisor and the least common multiple of a set of OLCs. These concepts have practical relevance: In component-based design, work ow management, ERP reference models, and electronic-trade procedures, there is a constant need for identifying commonalities and di erences in OLCs. Our results provide the theoretical basis for comparing, customizing, and unifying OLCs.