August 2026: Top 10 Cited Articles in Software Engineering & Applications

May 2026: Top 10 Cited Articles in Software Engineering & Applications

June 2026: Top 10 Cited Articles in Software Engineering & Applications

Identifying Software Quality Attributes Relevant for Very Small Entities

Nowadays, software systems are increasingly important and are rapidly growing in complexity and size. Their development involves large, medium, small, and very small entities (VSEs). The latter play a critical role in the supply chain, so developing high-quality software in accordance with established standards is fundamental to ensure the success of their software products. Applying standards such as ISO/IEC 29110 supports VSEs by providing efficient processes and increased productivity. However, standards such as ISO/IEC 25010, which provide a quality model for software products and quality in use, are not intended for implementation in VSEs. This paper presents an exploratory study that identifies the relevant quality characteristics and sub-characteristics in VSEs, as well as the practices they use to achieve product quality. 

Towards a Theoretical Framework for Software Engineering: A Conceptual Definition of Software Life Cycles (And More)

Background: Researchers dealing with software engineering often express some concern about the lack of a core theory for this discipline. In fact, even the most basic concepts of software engineering—like the organization of software development life cycles—are usually described informally, with no reference to an underlying theory. Methods: In this paper, a well-known model for requirements and specifications is used as a basis for a rigorous and uniform description of software development activities. Results: The proposed approach proved suitable to describe the most popular software life cycles, as well as to describe the properties of software development activities. The proposed approach was also used to describe the properties of the software product in a way that is precise enough to support the definition of metrics. Conclusions: The proposed approach seems suitable for describing most software engineering issues and reasoning about them.

SOLID AS A SYSTEM OF ENGINEERING CONSTRAINTS IN SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

The article examines the role of the SOLID principles in ensuring the quality of software architecture and the manageability of its evolution under continuously changing requirements. The influence of object-oriented design principles on the level of coupling and cohesion of software components is considered, as well as their interrelation with architectural approaches and design patterns. An analysis of various types of coupling encountered in modern software systems is performed, including structural, conceptual, and evolutionary coupling. Special attention is paid to the practical aspects of applying the SRP, OCP, LSP, ISP, and DIP principles, as well as to the risks arising from their formal or excessive use. It is shown that the effectiveness of architectural decisions is determined not only by compliance with design principles but also by the use of objective quality evaluation criteria based on metrics of coupling, cohesion, and code complexity. The possibilities of applying hexagonal architecture, contract testing, and dependency inversion mechanisms to improve the maintainability of software systems are considered. Based on the research results, a practical approach to using the SOLID principles as a system of engineering constraints is proposed, which ensures sustainable development of a software product and reduces architectural risks throughout its life cycle.

Qualitative Analysis of Industry Personnel’s Perspective on Future Ready Software Engineering Undergraduate Employability

The objective of this research is to obtain feedback from industry experts to understand the challenges related to the employability of future-ready software engineering undergraduate students and employs a qualitative study to gather the views of the experts.