The evolution of CASE usage in Finland between 1993 and 1996

The purpose of this paper is to report the evolution of CASE adoption in Finland based on two comparable surveys, the first conducted in spring 1993 and the second in winter 1996/1997. The study uses a process model for innovation adoption, consisting of three stages: conditions for adopting and using CASE tools; adoption and using CASE tools; and consequences of adopting and using CASE tools. At each stage, the paper points out key aspects related to CASE adoption and studies their changes from 1993 to 1996. The analysis of key aspects reveals that not so much has changed in CASE adoption during the time between the two surveys, although the expectations concerning improvements to be brought about by the CASE technology have increased significantly. There is also increased emphasis on tool interfaces and the coverage of the development process both, in the criteria for selecting CASE tools and in performance evaluations. CASE usage has progressed very slowly, if at all. CASE tools are increasingly perceived to lead to intensified project and product standardization and higher end-user participation, but the two surveys did not find any significant change in the perceived impact of CASE technology on the productivity of development or in the quality of software products, and still less in other dimensions of work unit effectiveness.