Software process enaction with VPL

Visual process language (VPL), a process modeling and programming system designed to provide both visual representations and detailed descriptions for enaction of software development processes, is described. The enaction of VPL programs is discussed. VPL programs are enacted using four primitive mechanisms: creation, advancement, deactivation, and reactivation. An object can be backtracked by deactivating it in its current form and reactivating a former version. Flow control modeling and a prototype environment for the VPL are considered. VPL is a candidate for use in the next generation of integrated software project support environments (IPSEs)