**4. Developing portals**

Starting from the metodologies, methods and techniques used generally in the development of information systems, an approach regarding quick development of portals will been introduced. The agile development framework, which proposes the use of prototype technique enriched with MDA (Model Driven Architecture) speciffic valences, includes the following phases (Figure 3):

Fig. 3. Agile development of portals


Starting from the metodologies, methods and techniques used generally in the development of information systems, an approach regarding quick development of portals will been introduced. The agile development framework, which proposes the use of prototype technique enriched with MDA (Model Driven Architecture) speciffic valences, includes the

 Conception: at the level of this phase the PIM (Plarform Independend Model) model elaboration is targeted, according to the requirements of the knowledge based collaborative community; Prior, a feasibility study is made for justifying the efficiency and efficacy of the project, being also made a business plan for demonstrating that the project does or does not bring a measurable benefit; the modelling of the requirements will lead to the outlining of the functionalities of the portal, of the user communities, all

 Design: targets the elaboration of the PSM (Platform Specific Model) model specific for the portal prototype, i.e. the finalisation of the architecture of this model, taking into account all details regarding the IT infrastructure, which must sustain the unitary, integrating vision of the PIM model. The building of the PSM model will take into account the future implementaion solution of the prototype by relating the model to a

 I.T.I (Implementing-Testing-Installation): has the goal to implement the portal prototype according to the PSM model, followed by the testing of the prototype. Often, the prototype invalidation as a result of testing its functionality, leads to the revision of the PSM model and aims at correcting some aspects related to technology and the considered IT platform. Practically, the final version of the portal prototype is obtained by an iterative process, which regards the adjustment of the PSM, its implementation and the testing of the prototype solutions for verifying the imposed requirements. After the validation of the prototype follows the portal installation and its transfer to the

**4. Developing portals** 

following phases (Figure 3):

Fig. 3. Agile development of portals

this being represented at a level of PIM model;

certain IT platform and to certain maintenance technologies;

users, who posess knowledge of the collaborative community.

We propose the following basic functional architecture (Figure 4) for a collaborative knowledge portal, having as an objective to facilitate the access to the knowledge base (as part of the organizational knowledge, which has been transposed to the portal) of the collaborative community members, the knowledge exchange between them and generally to provide a knowledge flow in the whole virtual community.

Among the functional components of the knowledge portal we have highlighted the following four major categories: process support, collaboration, content management and personalization (Note. The four major functionalities (content/document management, collaboration, process support and personalization), guide to the outlining of the service oriented architecture, unlike other functionalities, which only provide the operation of the portal in the imposed parameters or, indirectly, sustain these four.)

Fig. 4. The functional architecture of a knowledge portal (Jansen, Bach, Osterle, 2000)
