ESSENCE2 — More formal Descriptions of the Essence kernel

Issues

The following text is too informal, uses the passive voice, and uses the past tense.

• https://issues.omg.org/browse/ESSENCE2-2 - Passive Voice
• https://issues.omg.org/browse/ESSENCE2-3 - Present Tense
• https://issues.omg.org/browse/ESSENCE2-4 - Personal Pronouns
• https://issues.omg.org/browse/ESSENCE2-5 - Streamline text

Original Text

The Essence Kernel provides the common ground to, among other things, help practitioners to compare methods and make better decisions about their practices. Presenting the essence of engineering in this way enables us to build our knowledge on top of what we have known and learnt, and to apply and reuse gained knowledge across different application domains and systems of differing complexity.

The kernel elements form the basis of a vocabulary - a map of the engineering context - upon which we can define and describe any method or practice in existence or foreseen in the near future. They are defined in a way that allows them to be extensible and tailorable, supporting a wide variety of practices, methods, and development styles.

The Essence Kernel is also designed to be extensible to cater for the emergence of new technologies, new practices, new social working patterns, and new research. It is small and light at its base but extensible to cover more advanced uses, such as dealing with life-, safety-, business-, mission-, and security-critical systems.

The Essence Kernel can also be used whether or not a team has a documented method. The elements of the kernel are always prevalent in any engineering endeavor. They are what we always have (e.g., teams and work), what we always do (e.g., specify and implement), and what we always produce (e.g., systems) when we conduct engineering work. Even without a defined method the Essence Kernel can be used to monitor the progress and health of any endeavor, and to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of a team's way of working.

Suggestion

The Essence Kernel elements form the basis of a vocabulary, which is a map of the engineering context. This vocabulary then becomes the basis for definitions and descriptions of existing or future engineering methods or practices.

The definitions of methods and practices should be extensible and tailorable, supporting various practices, methods, and development styles.

Additionally, the Essence Kernel's intention is for extensibility to support the emergence of new technologies, practices, social working patterns, and research. It is small and light at its base but extensible to cover more advanced uses, especially mission-critical systems that cover life and safety, business, and security.

The Essence Kernel is also helpful whether or not a team has documented methods. The elements of the kernel are always prevalent in any engineering endeavor. They are the core of engineering (e.g., teams and work), the engineering processes (e.g., specify and implement), and the engineering results (e.g., systems). Even without a predefined method, the Essence Kernel can monitor the progress and health of any engineering endeavor and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of a team's way of working.