A Design Complexity Evaluation Framework for Agent-Based System Engineering Methodologies

Abstract. Complexity in software design refers to the difficulty in understand-ing and manipulating the set of concepts, models and techniques involved in the design process. Agents are sophisticated software artefacts, associated with a large number of features and therefore Agent-Based System (ABS) engineering methodologies involve considerable design complexity. This paper proposes a framework to evaluate ABS engineering methodologies against a number of criteria related to design complexity. The framework is applied to a number of representative ABS engineering methodologies. The strengths and weaknesses of each methodology with respect to the framework aspects are discussed within the context of a case study involving a virtual enterprise combining manufacturing and logistics services. The evaluation results are used to moti-vate and guide further work in the area.