Abstract: A process, architecture, and computer program product for using the inheritance features of an object-oriented system to enable multiple programmers to modify different behaviors of an object concurrently. A first method and a second method to be performed on the object are identified. The first method is developed in a first application having a first subclass of the object's class. A first application-specific object is an instantiation of the first subclass. The second method is concurrently developed in a second application having a second subclass of the object's class. A second application-specific object is an instantiation of the second subclass. Invoking the first method performs the first method on the first application-specific object, such that the object communicates as if the first method were performed on the object. Modifying the first method does not affect the second method, and vice versa.

Abstract: An architecture for integrating data between a plurality of software applications in a factory environment comprises a factory system and a domain application. The factory system comprises a domain object superclass and at least two first-level subclasses of the domain object superclass. An instantiation of one of the first-level subclasses corresponds to a domain object, which represents an item in a factory. The factory system also includes a service, which provides an operation related to the domain object. The service comprises at least one component, where each component is operable to perform the operation related to the domain object. The architecture also includes a domain application, which implements a component of the service of the factory system to perform the operation related to the domain object. The architecture can optionally include a system manager for managing hardware and software in the factory.