Cifecenter for Integrated Facility Engineering

This paper describes work conducted as a joint collaboration between the Virtual Design Team (VDT) research group at Stanford University (USA), the Systems Engineering Group (SEG) at De Montfort University (UK) and Elipsis Ltd. We describe a new docking methodology in which we combine the use of two radically different types of organizational simulation tool. The VDT simulation tool operates on a standalone computer, and employs computational agents during simulated execution of a pre-defined process model (Kunz, 1998). The other software tool, DREAMS, operates over a standard TCP/IP network, and employs human agents (real people) during a simulated execution of a pre -defined process model (Clegg, 2000). This docking study was conducted to develop a supporting tool-set for the concept of Enterprise Systemics, an approach designed to address the increasing commercial volatility of enterprises. It has largely been funded by the PISCES network project, which has drawn together a cross-disciplinary resource for comprehending the dynamics of the extended enterprise.