Method Engineering: State-of-the-Art Survey and Research Proposal

Method Engineering has emerged in response to the need to adapt methods to better fit the needs of the development task at hand. It aims at providing techniques for retrieving reusable method components, adapting and assembling these together to form the new method. The paper provides a survey of the main results obtained for the two issues of defining and assembling components. Given the amplitude of the results obtained, the paper concludes that the research community has reached considerable maturity. It argues thereafter that the full power of method components can be widely exploited by moving to the notion of method services and briefly outlines a possible approach towards MaaS, Method as a Service.

[1]  Brian Henderson-Sellers.  The OPEN Framework for Enhancing Productivity , 2000, IEEE Softw..

[2]  Matthias Jarke,et al.  PRIME—toward process-integrated modeling environments: 1 , 1999, TSEM.

[3]  Grady Booch,et al.  Object-oriented analysis and design with applications (2nd ed.) , 1993 .

[4]  Teade Punter,et al.  The MEMA-model: towards a new approach for Method Engineering , 1996, Inf. Softw. Technol..

[5]  Ivar Jacobson,et al.  Object-oriented software engineering - a use case driven approach , 1993, TOOLS.

[6]  Colette Rolland,et al.  Specifying the Reuse Context of Scenario Method Chunks , 1998, CAiSE.

[7]  Carine Souveyet,et al.  Patterns for Extending an OO Model with Temporal Features , 1998 .

[8]  Colette Rolland,et al.  Towards a Meta-tool for Change-Centric Method Engineering: A Typology of Generic Operators , 2004, CAiSE.

[9]  Masanori Shinohara,et al.  A Meta-Model for Representing Software Specification & Design Methods , 1993, Information System Development Process.

[10]  Lucas D. Introna,et al.  Against method-ism: Exploring the limits of method , 1997, Inf. Technol. People.

[11]  Sjaak Brinkkemper,et al.  A Method Engineering Language for the Description of Systems Development Methods , 2001, CAiSE.

[12]  Anthony Finkelstein,et al.  ViewPoint Oriented Software Development , 1990 .

[13]  Sjaak Brinkkemper,et al.  Assembly Techniques for Method Engineering , 1998, CAiSE.

[14]  Mauri Leppänen.  Towards an Ontology for Information Systems Development—A Contextual Approach , 2007 .

[15]  W. W. Royce,et al.  Managing the development of large software systems , 1970 .

[16]  Colette Rolland,et al.  A Multi-Model View of Process Modelling , 1999, Requirements Engineering.

[17]  Colette Rolland,et al.  Using generic method chunks to generate process models fragments , 1996, Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Requirements Engineering.

[18]  Brian Henderson-Sellers,et al.  Situational Method Engineering: Fragments or Chunks? , 2007, CAiSE Forum.

[19]  Naveen Prakash,et al.  Towards a formal definition of methods , 1997, Requirements Engineering.

[20]  Colette Rolland,et al.  Towards a Generic Model for Situational Method Engineering , 2003, CAiSE.

[21]  Naveen Prakash,et al.  On method statics and dynamics , 1999, Inf. Syst..

[22]  Mark Dowson,et al.  Iteration in the software process; review of the 3rd International Software Process Workshop , 1987, ICSE '87.

[23]  Victor R. Lesser,et al.  A plan-based intelligent assistant that supports the software development , 1989, SDE 3.

[24]  Motoshi Saeki,et al.  Embedding Metrics into Information Systems Development Methods: An Application of Method Engineering Technique , 2003, CAiSE.

[25]  Barry W. Boehm,et al.  A spiral model of software development and enhancement , 1986, Computer.

[26]  Alistair Cockburn,et al.  Writing Effective Use Cases , 2000 .

[27]  Colette Rolland,et al.  Method Enhancement with Scenario Based Techniques , 1999, CAiSE.

[28]  G. M. Wijers,et al.  Experiences with the Use of CASE-Tools in the Netherlands , 1990, CAiSE.

[29]  Colette Rolland,et al.  Method as a Service (MaaS) , 2008, 2008 Second International Conference on Research Challenges in Information Science.

[30]  Watts S. Humphrey,et al.  Managing the software process , 1989, The SEI series in software engineering.

[31]  Sjaak Brinkkemper,et al.  Situational method engineering for informational system project approaches , 1994, Methods and Associated Tools for the Information Systems Life Cycle.

[32]  Jolita Ralyté,et al.  Reusing scenario based approaches in requirement engineering methods: CREWS method base , 1999, Proceedings. Tenth International Workshop on Database and Expert Systems Applications. DEXA 99.

[33]  Colin Potts.  A generic model for representing design methods , 1989, ICSE '89.

[34]  Fredrik Karlsson,et al.  Method Components - Rationale Revealed , 2004, CAiSE.

[35]  Juhani Iivari,et al.  The usage of systems development methods: are we stuck to old practices? , 1998, Inf. Softw. Technol..

[36]  Edward Yourdon,et al.  Object-oriented analysis (2nd ed.) , 1991 .

[37]  Colette Rolland,et al.  An Assembly Process Model for Method Engineering , 2001, CAiSE.

[38]  Pär J. Ågerfalk,et al.  Method-user-centred method configuration , 2005 .

[39]  Sjaak Brinkkemper,et al.  Meta-Modelling Based Assembly Techniques for Situational Method Engineering , 1999, Inf. Syst..

[40]  Juha-Pekka Tolvanen,et al.  Flexible Method Adaption in Case: The Metamodeling Approach , 1993, Scand. J. Inf. Syst..

[41]  Valeria Seidita,et al.  A Metamodelling-based Approach for Method Fragment Comparison , 2006, EMMSAD.

[42]  Brian Fitzgerald,et al.  The use of systems development methodologies in practice: a field study , 1997, Inf. Syst. J..

[43]  Isabelle Mirbel,et al.  Situational method engineering: combining assembly-based and roadmap-driven approaches , 2005, Requirements Engineering.

[44]  Matthias Jarke,et al.  Information Systems Quality and Quality Informations Systems , 1992, The Impact of Computer Supported Technologies in Information Systems Development.

[45]  Sjaak Brinkkemper,et al.  Method engineering: engineering of information systems development methods and tools , 1996, Inf. Softw. Technol..

[46]  Björn Lundell,et al.  Method-in-Action and Method-in-Tool: Some Implications for CASE , 2004, ICEIS.

[47]  Rébecca Deneckère.  Using Meta-patterns to Construct Patterns , 2002, OOIS.

[48]  Juha-Pekka Tolvanen,et al.  Managing Evolutionary Method Engineering by Method Rationale , 2004, J. Assoc. Inf. Syst..

[49]  Pär J. Ågerfalk,et al.  Method configuration: adapting to situational characteristics while creating reusable assets , 2004, Inf. Softw. Technol..

[50]  Naveen Prakash,et al.  Engineering Methods from Method Requirements Specifications , 2001, Requirements Engineering.

[51]  Patrick Heymans,et al.  A reuse-Oriented Approach for the Construction of Scenario Bases Methods , 1997 .

[52]  Colette Rolland,et al.  An Approach for Method Reengineering , 2001, ER.

[53]  Klaus Kronlöf,et al.  Method integration: concepts and case studies , 1993 .

[54]  Kalle Lyytinen,et al.  MetaEdit - A Flexible Graphical Environment for Methodology Modelling , 1991, CAiSE.

[55]  Ivar Jacobson,et al.  The Unified Modeling Language User Guide , 1998, J. Database Manag..

[56]  Colette Rolland,et al.  An Approach for Evolution-Driven Method Engineering , 2005, Information Modeling Methods and Methodologies.