This paper analyzes the computational requirements of enterprise modeling, and presents a framework for reasoning with enterprise-wide models. Enterprise modeling studies complex systems which are normally only partially known, and focuses on studying the interactions among the components of the system, and the underlying modeling assumptions thereof. We discuss some major design issues for the next generation of enterprise modeling systems (EMS), that is, organizational-wide computing systems, and indicate the direction future research could take to support enterprise-wide problem formulation and problem solving. The focus of this paper is chiefly on investigating the question of how can we do model building in an enterprise-wide environment, and on proposing ideas which we see as promising steps towards accomplishing this difficult endeavor.

This paper analyzes the computational requirements of enterprise modeling, and presents a framework for reasoning with enterprise-wide models. Enterprise modeling studies complex systems which are normally only partially known, and focuses on studying the interactions among the components of the system, and the underlying modeling assumptions thereof. We discuss some major design issues for the next generation of enterprise modeling systems (EMS), that is, organizational-wide computing systems, and indicate the direction future research could take to support enterprise-wide problem formulation and problem solving. The focus of this paper is chiefly on investigating the question of how can we do model building in an enterprise-wide environment, and on proposing ideas which we see as promising steps towards accomplishing this difficult endeavor.