Value Framing: A Prelude to Software Problem Framing

Software problem framing is a way to find specifications for software. Software problem frames can be used to structure the environment of a software system (the machine) and specify desired software properties in such a way that we can show that software with these properties will help achieve the required effects in the environment. Actually framing a software problem, i.e. finding suitable problem frames of a given situation, is creative activity for which no guidelines are currently known. In this paper, we propose to use an idea exploration technique called e3-value to find software problem frames. The e3-value methodology is an approach to help business analysists solve the problem of designing a networked enterprise, defined as a set of businesses or business units that make money by performing value exchanges over a computer network. The outcome of e3-value is viewed by business managers as a solution, but it is a problem for software engineers who have to implement this idea. In this paper we illustrate the combination of e3-value with problem framing by means of a small example from real life, and discuss the research questions that come out of this.