small language model

Evolutionary product line modelling

Experimental software engineering (STESE)

Software engineering theory and practice is still to a large extent based more on faith than on science. Only by contributing to the scientific and empirically grounded body of knowledge within a specific area of application, theory and practice can develop. Experimentation is an important scientific approach to collect empirical data and to test theories as well as to bring light to new phenomena so that theories can be formulated and corrected. This is the background for the emerging field of experimental software engineering. The focus of this minitrack is on experiments and experimental studies performed in academic or industrial settings where the aim is to study the software professionals' work practices related to the development of software. This minitrack is divided in two three-paper sessions. The papers are briefly introduced in the following. The three papers in the first session are experiments performed in an academic setting. Syversen, Anda and Sjoberg report the results from an experiment with 26 subjects where they explore how a use case model can best be applied in an object-oriented development process. Serrano, Calero and Piattini describe how to apply the experimental method in metrics definition for multidimensional data models. Their paper gives an overview of the method including a description of how it was applied. The first session is concluded with a paper authored by Liu and Grandon where they empirically explore with 79 subjects how task performance and domain-specific self-efficacy influence the perceived ease of use of object-oriented analysis techniques. The first two papers in the second session include a set of experiments and an empirical study performed in an industrial setting. Jokela describes five different experiments where the attempt is to assess the quality of the usability engineering processes of four different companies. Jokela explains how the assessment process is iteratively changed and improved based on the results of the earlier experiments. Borjesson and Mathiassen compare two software process improvement initiatives carried out in industry. They focus on factors affecting the implementation success. Dugan, Glinert and Rogers conclude the minitrack by introducing a technology-focused methodology called CAMELOT, which is intended for testing computer supported co-operative work software. They report results from an experiment where the proposed methodology was tried out.

Developing Software Products for Mobile Markets: Need for Rethinking Development Models and Practices

Commitment to Software Process Improvement—Development of Diagnostic Tool to Facilitate Improvement1

This paper suggests that by operationalizing the concept of commitment in the shape of a model, a new insight is provided in improving software processes—a more human centered approach as opposed to various technical approaches available. In doing so the SPI managers/change agents are able to plan better the software process improvement initiative and benchmark successful projects (as well as failed ones). Results from five interviews with SPI professionals on the proposed Behavior-based Commitment Model are reported, together with early results from the empirical test in 14 software process improvement projects. Early results suggest that the behaviors introduced in the model are relevant in SPI initiatives, the use of model raises the awareness about the people issues in improving processes, and the model could be used aside with CMM, SPICE or other process improvement models.

Modelling Usability Capability - Introducing the Dimensions

Usability capability is a characteristic of a development organization that predicts the level of usability the development projects are capable of achieving. Our experiments with the existing usability capability models indicate that current process assessment methods do not discover all relevant problems that might impede effective user-centered design (UCD) in development organizations. We propose an enhanced model where the usability capability is analyzed from three dimensions: user-centered infrastructure, implementation of user-centered practices in development projects, and business management commitment to usability as a competitive asset.

The personal software process: experiences from Denmark

The focus of the research and practice in software process improvement (SPI) is shifting from traditional large-scale assessment based improvement initiatives to smaller sized, tailored initiatives where the emphasis is on the development personnel and their personal abilities. Personal software process (PSP/sup SM/) is a method designed for improving the personal capabilities of the individual software engineer. This paper contributes to the body of knowledge within this area by reporting experiences from Denmark. The findings indicate an improvement in effort estimation skills and an increase in the resulting product quality in terms of reduced total defect density. The data shows that even with a relatively small effort (i.e., 10%) used in defect prevention activities (i.e., design and code reviews) almost one third of all defects could be removed and, consequently, the time required for the testing was reduced by 50%. On the basis of this data, the use of the PSP method in the software industry is discussed.

Commitment Nets in Software Process Improvement

This study suggests that software organizations operate through strategic, operational and personal commitment nets, and shows that SPI is driven through the formation and reformation of commitment nets.

Exploring the Sources of Waste in Kanban Software Development Projects

The application of agile software methods and more recently the integration of Lean practices contribute to the trend of continuous improvement in the software industry. One such area warranting proper empirical evidence is a project’s operational efficiency when using the Kanban method. This short paper takes a new angle and explores waste in the Kanban-driven software development project context. A preliminary research model is presented for helping the consequent replication of the study. The results from the empirical analysis suggest Kanban can be an effective method in visualizing and organizing the current work, but does not prevent waste from creeping in, although the overall project outcome may be successful.

Building blocks for self-organizing software development teams a framework model and empirical pilot study

Agile Project - An Oxymoron? Proposing an Unproject Leadership Model for Complex Space

Perspectives on Global Software Development: special issue on PROFES 2007

The field of software engineering has evolved significantly over the past decades. It can be argued that software has become the vital element of any system or service. Interestingly, even in the field of automotive industry, 90% of recent innovations stem from software and electronics (ITEA2 2005). Ever since the classic NATO conference in 1968, however, software has been argued to be in some state of crisis. From the 1990s, the crisis has been labeled as a chronic one. It is quite evident that several attempts to improve the state of software industry have taken place with varying levels of success. Software process improvement approaches have been developed since many decades ago. The results have been impressive, on the one hand, but many problems still exist. As an example, the business impact of software process improvement endeavors has been difficult to pinpoint, several of the improvement initiatives appear to fall short of their goals, and overemphasis on comparing processes with fixed reference models may lead an organization astray regarding the product or service perspective. The Profes conference series was established in 1999 to provide a venue for industry and academia to present and discuss the shift from model-based improvement to a product-oriented perspective in the field of software engineering and software process improvement. This includes a context-oriented understanding of the process-product relationships. Recently, the focus in practice and, consequently, in research has been on viewing software development as a global endeavor rather than a local one. There are several reasons for this. To name but a few: The distribution of software development enables the optimum use of competence regardless of the geographical location. The large software-intensive organizations operate in the global space and market, which makes distribution a necessity rather than a choice. On the positive side, distribution enables the development of software and services close to the prominent market area. Despite these relatively clear advantages and 2 benefits, global software development has brought with it several challenges due to increased complexity and cultural as well as technology issues. These challenges are now being tackled by means of research taking place in Europe and elsewhere as witnessed by this special issue of Profes conference research papers. Profes Conference series was established at the end of European IST project called PROFES (PROduct Focused Software process improvement) for disseminating the research results of the project area to industry. The PROFES Consortium included …

Failure Prediction using the Cox Proportional Hazard Model

Crashes of software systems may have disruptive, and sometimes tragic effects on users. Being able to forecast such failures is extremely important, even when the failures are inevitable – at least recovery or rescue actions can be taken. In this paper we present a technique to predict the failure of running software systems. We propose to use log messages to predict failures running devices that read log files of running application and warns about the likely failure of the system; the prediction is based on the Cox Proportional Hazards (PH) model that has been applied successfully in various fields of research. We perform an initial validation of the proposed approach on real-world data.