Monitoring innovation in virtual enterprises: An agile semantic approach

In this paper, the key ideas adopted in the BIVEE project to monitor and support an innovation venture are illustrated, and developed in the context of a virtual enterprise (VE). The proposed approach is based on two pillars: a novel framework, further split into three parts, and the support of a semantic platform. In particular, the novel framework is split into the Virtual Enterprise Modelling Framework (VEMF), the Business Innovation Reference Framework (BIRF) and the Innovation Monitoring Framework (IMF). VEMF is aimed at providing a unique approach to the modelling of a VE, overcoming the divergences that the different real enterprises forming the VE may exhibit. The BIRF is aimed at providing guidelines for carrying out effective innovations in a VE. Finally, the IMF provides a set of methods, including Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), to monitor performances of activities and the achievement of planned goals. The second pillar is represented by a semantic platform relying on a federation of ontologies that allow the business context to be semantically enriched in a formal way.