Abstract: A method for developing a multi-agent system and a multi-agent system, such as an automation and/or production system, including software and/or hardware components, the resources and functions of these components being represented and/or controlled through software agents, each of the software agents having the capability of achieving goals through interaction with the environment and with other agents. In order to increase reconfigurability and flexibility, the resources and functions of the software agents are depicted as services, where each software agent, in order to achieve its own goals, calls up services of other software agents and offers its own resources and functions to other software agents as services.