Software modelling languages: A wish list

© 2015 IEEE. Contemporary software engineering modelling tends to rely on general-purpose languages, such as the Unified Modeling Language. However, such languages are practice-based and seldom underpinned with a solid theory-be it mathematical, ontological or concomitant with language use. The future of software modelling deserves research to evaluate whether a language base that is compatible with these various elements as well as being philosophically coherent offers practical advantages to software developers

Dimensions of Consistency in GSD: Social Factors, Structures and Interactions

Peer reviewe

Cargo Cults in Information Systems Development: a Definition and an Analytical Framework

Organizations today adopt agile information systems development methods (ISDM), but many do not succeed with the adoption process and in achieving desired results. Systems developers sometimes fail in efficient use of ISDM, often due to a lack of understanding the fundamental intentions of the chosen method. In many cases organizations simply imitate the behavior of others without really understanding why. This conceptual paper defines this phenomenon as an ISDM cargo cult behavior and proposes an analytical framework to identify such situations. The concept of cargo cults originally comes from the field of social anthropology and has been used to explain irrational, ritualistic imitation of certain behavior. By defining and introducing the concept in the field of information systems development we provide a diagnostic tool to better understand one of the reasons why ISDM adoption sometimes fail

Situational method engineering

© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014. While previously available methodologies for software “ like those published in the early days of object technology “ claimed to be appropriate for every conceivable project, situational method engineering (SME) acknowledges that most projects typically have individual characteristics and situations. Thus, finding the most effective methodology for a particular project needs specific tailoring to that situation. Such a tailored software development methodology needs to take into account all the bits and pieces needed for an organization to develop software, including the software process, the input and output work products, the people involved, the languages used to describe requirements, design, code, and eventually also measures of success or failure. The authors have structured the book into three parts. Part I deals with all the basic concepts, terminology and overall ideas underpinning situational method engineering. As a summary of this part, they present a formal meta-model that enables readers to create their own quality methods and supporting tools. In Part II, they explain how to implement SME in practice, i.e., how to find method components and put them together and how to evaluate the resulting method. For illustration, they also include several industry case studies of customized or constructed processes, highlighting the impact that high-quality engineered methods can have on the success of an industrial software development. Finally, Part III summarizes some of the more recent and forward-looking ideas. This book presents the first summary of the state of the art for SME. For academics, it provides a comprehensive conceptual framework and discusses new research areas. For lecturers, thanks to its step-by-step explanations from basics to the customization and quality assessment of constructed methods, it serves as a solid basis for comprehensive courses on the topic. For industry methodologists, it offers a reference guide on features and technologies to consider when developing in-house software development methods or customising and adopting off-the-shelf ones

Ptolemaic metamodelling? The need for a paradigm shift

© 2013, IGI Global. By consideration of scientific paradigm shifts, in this chapter the authors evaluate possible parallels in the evolution of modelling, and particularly metamodelling and modelling language construction, as a basis for evaluating whether or not the time is ripe for a similar change of direction in model language development for software engineering. Having identified several inconsistencies and paradoxes in the current orthodoxy, they then introduce a number of ideas from outside software engineering (including language use, philosophy, and ontology engineering) that seem to solve many of these issues. Whether these new ideas, together, are sufficient to create a shift in mindset or whether they are simply the stimulus for others to create new and orthogonal ideas remains to be seen. The authors urge the modelling and metamodelling communities to search out that new orthodoxy (i.e. instigate a paradigm shift) that will, necessarily, ensure that the science will offer simpler and more satisfying solutions in the years to come

The Concept of e-Service from a Social Interaction Perspective

Abstract Fundamental for e-services is the use of an information system (IS) as a performer in the interation between a service provider and customers. The significance of e-services is an emergent trend in the discipline of Information Systems, but the concept of service is not explicitly described. The significance of e-services is an emergent trend in the discipline of Service Marketing, but the IT perspective is narrow. The paper discusses the concept of e-service based on Service Marketing Theory and Information Systems Actability Theory. Both theories are in line with a social interaction perspective. A key aspect of the Service Marketing Theory is the service encounter, i.e. the situated and social interaction which takes place when the service provider and the customer meet and produce a service in interaction. A key aspect of the Actability Theory within the discipline of Information Systems is to view IS as action systems. This emphasises that the IS is used by actors to perform communication actions i.e. social interaction through the IS or based on messages from the IS. By bringing Service Marketing Theory and Information Systems Actability Theory together, a social interaction perspective on the concept of e-service is outlined useful in analysing and designing e-services

The Concept of e-Service from a Social Interaction Perspective

Abstract Fundamental for e-services is the use of an information system (IS) as a performer in the interation between a service provider and customers. The significance of e-services is an emergent trend in the discipline of Information Systems, but the concept of service is not explicitly described. The significance of e-services is an emergent trend in the discipline of Service Marketing, but the IT perspective is narrow. The paper discusses the concept of e-service based on Service Marketing Theory and Information Systems Actability Theory. Both theories are in line with a social interaction perspective. A key aspect of the Service Marketing Theory is the service encounter, i.e. the situated and social interaction which takes place when the service provider and the customer meet and produce a service in interaction. A key aspect of the Actability Theory within the discipline of Information Systems is to view IS as action systems. This emphasises that the IS is used by actors to perform communication actions i.e. social interaction through the IS or based on messages from the IS. By bringing Service Marketing Theory and Information Systems Actability Theory together, a social interaction perspective on the concept of e-service is outlined useful in analysing and designing e-services

Modularization constructs in method engineering: towards common ground?

Although the Method Engineering (ME) research community has reached considerable maturity, it has not yet been able to agree on the granularity and definition of the configurable parts of methods. This state of affairs is causing unnecessary confusion, especially with an ever increasing number of people contributing to ME research. There are several competing notions around, most significantly 'method fragments' and 'method chunks', but also 'method components' and 'process components' are used in some quarters and have also been widely published. Sometimes these terms are used interchangeably, but there appears to be important semantic and pragmatic differences. If the differences are unimportant, we should be able to come to an agreement on what construct to promote. Alternatively, the different constructs may serve different purposes and there is a need for them to coexist. If this is the case, it should be possible to pinpoint exactly how they are related and which are useful in what contexts. This panel is a step towards finding common ground in this area, which arguably is at the very core of ME