Software Engineering Capabilities Research Articles

The MESSIR Flexible Scientific Approach to Requirements Engineering

Among the software engineering development phases, requirements engineering is the one that has the most impact on project success or failure. To be executed in various contexts, there is an important need for flexibility and efficient tool support. A flexible requirements engineering method should include several levels allowing for more or less completeness and precision. Some project contexts would need a lightweight activity using structured natural language but still being guided and grounded partly on professional standards. Some more advanced projects would need more complete requirements documents and would benefit from a description language based on scientific notions allowing for better precision for specific system operations. Some business or safety critical systems would need an approach allowing for requirements simulation and verification. Requirements engineering education is an important objective to prepare future engineers to understand those requirements engineering needs and be prepared for practice in a professional setting. In the last five years, we have developed a requirements engineering method called Messir with a tool Excalibur and experiments in academia have been made to see how it was solving actual software engineering problems focusing first on requirements engineering education. Messir components represent in themselves some improvements w.r.t. the state of the art of the “standard” theories, methods and tools, mainly by introducing an improved requirements engineering process, language and verification support based on executable requirements specifications. Furthermore, the Messir approach solves also some actual problems related to software engineering education by offering a product line framework for setting up or improving courses in computer science curricula. The main result being to contribute to develop the software engineering capabilities of engineers and scientists that feed the job market in industry, research or education.

Structuration and Learning in a Software Firm

This case study presents the evolution of a software firm from startup into early internationalization. Building on a structuration theory, the case is framed within a conceptual model that illustrates the way skills and routines co-evolve both at the level of the founding entrepreneur (agency) and of the firm (structure). As such, this article contributes to an emergent structurational view of technology-based entrepreneurship. Such views places emphasis on learning both at the individual and collective level, in terms of software engineering, commercial, managerial and strategic capabilities. In addition, it supports a dynamic perspective of entrepreneurship in the software industry by covering not only the startup phase but also early growth and consolidation of the firm.

Keynote Speakers

Discontinuous functions have featured in metric fixed point theory since the theory originated in the first quarter of the 20th century. Today these functions occupy a large portion of this expanding branch of mathematics. The present talk gives an account of the recent developments of this area of research along with some of its implications. The broad subject area of the talk is functional analysis.

Ontologies for Software Engineering: Past, Present and Future

Background/Objectives: Research in recent years has probed integration amongst research field of Software Engineering & Semantic Web technology, addressing the advantages of applying Semantic techniques to the field of Software Engineering. Prolifically published studies have further substantiated the benefits of ontologies to the field of Software Engineering, which clearly motivate us to explore further opportunities available in this collaborated field. This paper is a survey expounding such opportunities while discussing the role of ontologies as a Software Life-Cycle support technology. Method/Statistical Analysis: Survey centred on providing an overview of the state-of-art of all the ontologies available for Software Engineering followed by their categorization based on software life cycle phases and their application scope. Findings: Characterization of ontologies as a Software Life-cycle support technology, instigated by the increasing need to investigate the interplay between Semantic Web & Software Engineering with the ultimate goal of enabling & improving Software Engineering capabilities. Application/Improvements: This paper discusses the practical and potential applications of ontologies in the field of Software Engineering followed by the issues and challenges that will keep this field dynamic and lively for years to come.

Rule-based modeling: a computational approach for studying biomolecular site dynamics in cell signaling systems.

Rule-based modeling was developed to address the limitations of traditional approaches for modeling chemical kinetics in cell signaling systems. These systems consist of multiple interacting biomolecules (e.g., proteins), which themselves consist of multiple parts (e.g., domains, linear motifs, and sites of phosphorylation). Consequently, biomolecules that mediate information processing generally have the potential to interact in multiple ways, with the number of possible complexes and posttranslational modification states tending to grow exponentially with the number of binary interactions considered. As a result, only large reaction networks capture all possible consequences of the molecular interactions that occur in a cell signaling system, which is problematic because traditional modeling approaches for chemical kinetics (e.g., ordinary differential equations) require explicit network specification. This problem is circumvented through representation of interactions in terms of local rules. With this approach, network specification is implicit and model specification is concise. Concise representation results in a coarse graining of chemical kinetics, which is introduced because all reactions implied by a rule inherit the rate law associated with that rule. Coarse graining can be appropriate if interactions are modular, and the coarseness of a model can be adjusted as needed. Rules can be specified using specialized model-specification languages, and recently developed tools designed for specification of rule-based models allow one to leverage powerful software engineering capabilities. A rule-based model comprises a set of rules, which can be processed by general-purpose simulation and analysis tools to achieve different objectives (e.g., to perform either a deterministic or stochastic simulation).

The differences in structural relationships among software engineering capabilities and business performance depending on origin of IT firm in Japan

To clarify the mechanism of how software engineering capabilities relate to business performance of IT vendors, we analysed data collected from 100 major IT vendors. Then, we verified the relationships among software engineering capabilities and business performance vary significantly depending on origin of vendor: maker-turned, user-turned or independent. In maker-turned vendors, service, process, and product innovations are effectively connected. In user-turned vendors, software engineering innovation is probably attributable to a management policy of paying extra attention to business performance. In independent vendors, human resource development is the only factor that positively and significantly influences the other capabilities and business performance.

Study on Management of Software Engineering Capability in Japan through Cross-Section Analysis and Panel Analysis

Surveys on software engineering excellence (SEE) were designed and administrated in 2005, 2006, and 2007 in conjunction with the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. In the survey, the software engineering capability was measured from the seven viewpoints of deliverables, project management, quality assurance, process improvement, research and development, human development, and customer contacts. In the present paper, we present the results of a cross-section analysis and a panel analysis. Through a cross-section analysis of the SEE data, we found superior deliverables and business performance to be significantly correlated with the effort expended on human resource development, quality assurance, research and development, and process improvement. For the panel analysis, we integrated 233 valid responses for the three years into a new database and identified 151 unique IT firms. Based on the results of the panel analysis, first, most SEE factors for a particular year had significant positive influences on the same factors the following year. Second, there were three paths to improving the level of deliverables, namely, through project management, quality assurance, and research and development, in a particular year. Third, some SEE factors had a significant positive influence on different SEE factors in the following year. Finally, several negative paths were observed, which implies that the effort put into a particular factor did not pay off in the short-term.

Structural relationships among software engineering capabilities in Japan

This study aims at better understanding how software engineering capabilities should be improved in the drastically changing IT industry in Japan. Based on the results of path analyses on the three surveys data from 151 IT firms, human development and R&D are significantly fundamental capabilities to improve the quality of deliverables. Also, improving capabilities of project management and process improvement are significantly an immediate effect on deliverables. On the contrary, quality assurance and customer contacts might need long-term efforts to be successful. The results suggest that order effects among the software engineering capabilities are verified based on the data-centric approach.

A Study on Relationships Among Software Engineering Capabilities in Japan Using Panel Analysis

To understand how software engineering capabilities relate to IT vendors’ business performance and business environment, the author designed social research on software engineering excellence (SEE) and administered it in 2005, 2006 and 2007 with the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The author measured the SEE survey results with regard to seven factors including service science characteristics: deliverables, project management, quality assurance, process improvement, research and development, human development, and contact with customers. This paper integrates 233 responses to the SEE surveys into a new database and identified 151 unique IT firms. Based on the results of the panel analysis, most SEE factors for a year had significant positive influences on the same factors the next year. Three paths existed to improving the level of deliverables through project management, quality assurance and research and development. Some SEE factors had significant positive influence on different factors in the following year diagonally. Some negative paths existed, implying that effort put toward a particular factor did not pay off during the research. These efforts may have longer-term effects on other SEE factors. In comparison to the overall structure, stratified analysis on the relationships among the seven factors suggested that year-to-year relationships of the independent vendors tend to be strengthened due to enhancement of series correlation.

An approach for categorizing end user programmers to guide software engineering research

Over 64 million Americans used computers at work in 1997, and we estimate this number will grow to 90 million in 2012, including over 55 million spreadsheet and database users and 13 million self-reported programmers. Existing characterizations of this end user population based on software usage provide minimal guidance on how to help end user programmers practice better software engineering. We describe an enhanced method of characterizing the end user population, based on categorizing end users according to the ways they represent abstractions. Since the use of abstraction can facilitate or impede achieving key software engineering goals (such as improving reusability and maintainability), this categorization promises an improved ability to highlight niches of end users with special software engineering capabilities or struggles. We have incorporated this approach into an in-progress survey of end user programming practices.

A Human Factors Integration Capability Maturity Model

AbstractVendor capability assessment is a vital risk‐reduction component of pre‐contract award on major projects, and process improvement has become recognised as an important development in improving productivity and quality. This has become established for Software Capability Evaluation, using Capability Maturity Models. Similar approaches have been developed for systems engineering and are starting to see application.The integration of human factors into systems development is now seen as essential for reasons of manning, safety and operability. The Human Factors discipline has matured and there are now stable standards, and a consensus over the processes involved appears to have developed. However, the means of ensuring Integration into system development are less well evolved.A capability assessment scheme for human factors would extend existing software and system engineering capability evaluations to give assurance that complex systems, such as command centres, will be operable on delivery. This would be particularly valuable because human adaptability and variability pose difficulty for reliance on hard requirements. Traditional specification and test against pre‐defined acceptance criteria is inadequate to assure operability in complex systems. Contractors and/or partners in the development need to provide assurance of their ability to do human factors work within this dynamic project environment and deliver sub‐systems which integrate into the worksystem.This paper summarises the state of the art in Human Factors process models and capability evaluation, sets out the requirements for successful HFI capability evaluation, and discusses a proposed implementation strategy.The presentation will review the requirements for such a scheme and present the development and implementation strategy for a general‐purpose Human Factors Integration Capability Maturity Model.

Software Engineering Education for the Knowledge Creating Society

For several years, the focus of management has shifted to software production in all divisions of the Hitachi group. In the development of software products, it is necessary to satisfy not only the function, the performance, and the usability but also various requirements for cost, delivery date, quality, extendibility, and maitainability. SEP: Software Engineering Project course is perhaps one of the most advanced industrial training programs for software engineering in the world. Two factors are particularly important: emphasis on both technical and managerial topics, and continuous improvement of the course. The SEP will result in improved software engineering capabilities for Hitachi, both in the nearterm and long-term future of the knowledge creating society.

4.5.1 A Systems Engineering Capability in the Global Market Place

Organisations that produce a physical product have no difficulty in promoting their capability; Systems Engineering organisations produce a conceptual product: their deliverables consist mainly of information. A Systems Engineering capability is therefore an abstract entity, and sometimes hard to visualise. For a Systems Engineering organisation to remain competitive in the Global Market Place, it must have a method of assessing, promoting and improving its capability. Although NCOSE is moving towards a common understanding, to date there are no external benchmarking systems that can be used to provide an absolute indication of Systems Engineering effectiveness. A method for assessing the Software Engineering Capability of contractors has been developed by the Software Engineering Institute of the Carnegie Mellon University, but the method is not directly applicable to Systems Engineering. The IEEE P1220 Standard for the Application and Management of the Systems Engineering Process imposes (4.14, Re-Engineering, Self Assessment, Lessons Learnt) a requirement to implement an improvement program. There is also a requirement for benchmarking the Systems Engineering Process (6.8.7e). This paper describes an internal assessment methodology that an organisation can adopt to improve its effectiveness, and meet/exceed these IEEE P1220 requirements.

Software engineering for semiconductor manufacturing equipment suppliers

The growing cost and the lack of reliability of many semiconductor CIM components, particularly the software that controls processing equipment, can to a large extent be attributed to the growing pains of an industry that finds itself moving rapidly from a hardware-intensive to a software-intensive environment. Indeed, equipment suppliers now share with other critical industries (such as aerospace or robotics) a need for excellent software engineering practices and tools. These are increasingly key to being able to supply quality products to their customers. In this paper, we examine in more detail the issues that exist in the equipment industry with respect to software development; we explore some of the causes for this situation; we present the elements of a complete approach to the improvement of software capabilities (with applicability to software suppliers and system integrators as well as to equipment makers) and indicate the interdependency between these various elements. We conclude by indicating practical steps that can be taken by suppliers to redress the current lag in software engineering capability.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

No crystal ball in the software industry

The results of a 1989 survey conducted to assess the software-engineering capabilities of 13 prospective corporate members are discussed in a historical perspective. It is suggested that a look back at these predictions is clear evidence that the software industry grossly underestimated the effect of new hardware technology and grossly overestimated the affect of new software technology. Some advice on planning for the future of a software organization is offered. >

ToolCASE

The design and construction of an up-to-date repository of CASE (Computer-Aided Software Engineering) tools, called ToolCASE, is introduced in this paper. ToolCASE is populated with information regarding purchasing, citations and software engineering capabilities of existing CASE tools. Purchasing information, included in ToolCASE, embodies vendors, costs, discounts, hardware and software requirements; the citations encompass various publications on CASE, whereas software engineering capabilities comprise phases of the paradigm automated, software application area targeted and methodologies supported by CASE tools. ToolCASE is designed for people with diverse backgrounds who wish to choose the proper CASE tool for their specific needs. For instance, a project manager can retrieve the name and phone number of the company that develops a particular CASE tool, its price and the first year it was available. A software engineer may request all CASE tools that automate a particular phase of a software engineering paradigm, aim at the development of software for a specific application area or follow a certain methodology. In addition, a researcher could acquire citations on existing CASE tools that meet specific requirements.

Modular design for simulation

AbstractThis paper presents a modular design approach for the implementation of process‐oriented or event‐oriented discrete systems simulation software. Requirements for such a simulation facility are discussed, to include list processing capabilities, data structuring capabilities, dynamic allocation of data storage, statistics collection and number‐crunching capabilities, and subprograms. Specific focus is placed upon implementing the process view which requires constructs in the language for initiating, controlling and terminating a process. Resource management facilities are also considered, to include a means of defining a resource with its associated resource handler and a set of primitives for requesting, releasing and obtaining status information regarding a resource.HPSIM, an organized collection of modules written in Modula‐2, was designed to facilitate both event‐oriented and process‐oriented discrete systems simulation, Modula‐2 was chosen for its data abstraction facilities, its software engineering capabilities, its execution efficiency, its ability for separate compilation and its implementation of co‐routines. The modeller encapsulates the conceptual model of the system into a software module which is interfaced with the HPSIM modules. The IMPORT statement in Modula‐2 allows the modeller to access any of the routines provided by HPSIM as required. An example involving a single‐server CPU system highlights the process/resource features of HPSIM.