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SCIPIO Methodology OverviewScipio Logo

SCIPIO is pronounced "Skip-e-o"

[What is SCIPIO?] [What are its Benefits?] [Why Created?] [What does SCIPIO Offer?] [Who Created it?]
[Who owns SCIPIO?] [How much does it cost?] [I want to Know More]

What is SCIPIO?

SCIPIO is a Methodology that:

What are the Benefits of Using SCIPIO?

Business processes are more flexible and support new business models. The result is a more dynamic and forward looking business, able to shape and lead in its industry.
Business processes can be easily discussed with all stakeholders. The result is business models that have buy-in with users, developers, suppliers, distributors, and corporate management. Risk of not meeting business needs is substantially blueuced.
There is trace-ability from requirements through design to implementation. The result is a quick business impact assessment of technological implementation constraints and a quick technological impact assessment of changing business requirements. The risk of overlooking some critical aspect is substantially blueuced.
A series of quick wins for the business; systems are implemented before they are out-of-date; and critical areas of the business can be targetted. The result is a faster return on investment; key business needs are met; and a competitive edge obtained. Risk of being too late to market is substantially blueuced.
Business processes and systems can be rapidly reconfigublue. The result is a more dynamic business able to respond quickly and economically to competitors actions.
Existing investment in systems can be protected and leveraged. The result is lower development costs, faster time to market, and greater utilisation and profitability of existing assets. The risk of not correctly replicating existing good logic within systems is substantially blueuced.

Why has SCIPIO been Created?

New development technologies like Object Technology have addressed many of the problems of old technology but only now in hindsight do we realise the tremendous millstone on the business. For example:
  • Year 2000 problems embedded in millions of lines of undocumented code and written in ancient programming languages.
  • Inability to respond quickly and safely to new industry entrants (e.g. Direct line and Web based companies).
Whilst these new technologies will mean better technological infrastructure, unfortunately the battle-field has moved to a higher plain.

For example:

  • Business processes now need to span supplier - producer - distributor chains without additional expense or loss of flexibility to switch suppliers or distributors or even eliminate process steps or bring them in-house.
  • Business processes need to encompass multi-medium delivery channels including for example the internet, kiosk systems, interactive TV, mobile phones and mobile computing, telesales and telemarketing systems.
  • Business processes need to either support being the dominant lowest cost producer, or support being a multiple niche market player with agility and without significant overhead. Ultimately many markets will move to serving markets of one but at mass produced prices (Mass Customisation).
In many cases, existing development have to be further utilised.
  • In large corporation the investment often runs to many millions of pounds.
  • There is not the time or resources to blueevelop.
  • The embedded knowledge within the system no longer exists within people, yet often that knowledge is invariably locked within the code.

Existing waterfall development methodologies are just too slow.

  • Apparently simple developments can take six months to a year, and bigger developments many years.
  • Over that development time the business requirements will change - or the business may not simply survive that long.
  • Waterfall developments often bring their own project management and organisational interface baggage. The result can be an emphasis on quantity and demarcation lines rather than quality and seamless interfaces.

New Rapid Application Development (RAD) techniques may produce systems fast but too often at a cost.

  • The system meets the immediate needs of a small user community but fails to support the strategic intent of the organisation.
  • The emphasis becomes one of quantity and speed rather than quality, robustness and longevity.
  • The use of RAD (which thrives on small integrated teams of users and developers) is difficult in a large project.
  • RAD works best in new greenfield areas developing on-line systems - i.e. not so well where there are legacy and batch systems.

SCIPIO has been developed to address these issues.

What does SCIPIO Offer?

SCIPIO is based on industry best practice.

SCIPIO adheres to DSDM project management principles.
SCIPIO offers a range of project scenarios.
SCIPIO addresses the whole of the development life cycle.
SCIPIO embraces the new technologies
like Work Flow, Object Technology, Middleware, Distributed Processing, and CORBA.
SCIPIO co-exists with established technologies
like Client Server, Databases, and Real-time processing.

SCIPIO is flexible - you use it some of the time, and some of SCIPIO all of the time.

New SCIPIO techniques can be combined with previous techniques
like Exchange and Rule Diagrams with BPR, Object Orientation and Data Modelling.

Who Created SCIPIO?

SCIPIO has developed from 3 main sources:

1 Previous methods including:

Information Engineering (JMA and Texas Instruments), TI Method (Texas Instruments), ORDIT (Newcastle University), Enterprise Modelling Methodology (Texas Instruments and Architecture Projects Management), Business Relationship Modelling (Texas Instruments) and Catalysis (Icon Computing and Trireme).

2 Prevailing standards:

UML, Workflow Management Coalition, RM-ODP

3 Collaborative work involving a small team of tools and methods experts:

Major contributions were made by Clive Mabey, Michael Mills, David Iggulden, Ian Macdonald and Richard Veryard.

Who Owns SCIPIO?

How much does SCIPIO Cost?

I want to Know More about SCIPIO?

External Resources
 

  1. Veryard, Richard (Editor), April 1998, Aims, Principles and Structure - Version 0.9, SCIPIO Consortium
  2. Veryard, Richard (Editor), April 1998, Development Process Framework - Version 0.91, SCIPIO Consortium
  3. Veryard, Richard, 1 October 1998, Component Based Development using SCIPIO, SCIPIO Consortium
  4. See the full list of resources for this web site for other related resources.

 

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