A process of improving Process Improvement Processess in academic research

This thesis presents a new process based approach to software engineering designed to meet the needs of academic computer science researchers. The core objective was to examine whether software engineering approaches could be adapted for the research environment so that they gain acceptance and enable improvement of the research process. The approach included the provision of selected process descriptors (software, tools, and guidelines) to support research. Inter-researchers support, and support between researchers and a departmental Software Engineer were examined. A new working paradigm for computer science departments was simulated in our experiments; this involves the integration of a software engineer working on projects across the department. The approach encourages researcher’s reflection and conscious engagement with their research process. For researchers, our approach provides novel ways of documenting the research and research process and sharing this information in a low cost manner. Selected software engineering tools and approaches were evaluated for both their benefits and acceptability to the academic community. A framework for judging academic capability maturity is presented. Five-month research projects by MSc students form the experimental basis. Data was collected over three years. About half the students opted for the experimental approach. Data collection ranged from inspection of outputs, interviews, and surveys to software engineering approaches like Formal Technical Reviews. In a case study approach we present information on the attitudes, approaches and rationale of the researchers, such understanding is needed for new approaches to be both helpful and acceptable.