Sjaak Brinkkemper

Method engineering: engineering of information systems development methods and tools

This paper proposes the term method engineering for the research field of the construction of information systems development methods and tools. Some research issues in method engineering are identified. One major research topic in method engineering is discussed in depth: situational methods, i.e. the configuration of a project approach that is tuned to the project at hand. A language and support tool for the engineering of situational methods are discussed.

Complexity metrics for systems development methods and techniques

So many systems development methods have been introduced in the last decade that one can talk about a ?methodology jungle?. To aid the method developers and evaluators in fighting their way through this jungle, we propose a systematic approach for measuring properties of methods. We describe two sets of metrics which measure the complexity of single diagram techniques, and of complete systems development methods. The proposed metrics provide a relatively fast and simple way to analyse the descriptive capabilities of a technique or method. When accompanied with other selection criteria, the metrics can be used for estimating the relative complexity of a technique compared to others. To demonstrate the applicability of the metrics, we have applied them to 36 techniques and 11 methods.

Conceptual Modelling in Information Systems Engineering

1) From Information Algebra to Enterprise Modelling and Ontologies - a Historical Perspective on Modelling for Information Systems (Janis A. Bubenko jr.) - 2) Fact Oriented Modeling: Past, Present and Future (Terry Halpin) - 3) Data Integration - Problems, Approaches, and Perspectives (Patrick Ziegler, Klaus R. Dittrich) - 4) Challenges to Conceptual Modeling (Bernhard Thalheim) - 5) Interoperable Management of Conceptual Models (Andreas L. Opdahl, Guttorm Sindre) - 6) Uniform and Flexible Data Management in Workflow Management Systems (Johann Eder, Marek Lehmann) - 7) Using Models in Enterprise Systems Projects (Jon Atle Gulla) - 8) The Role of Business Models in Enterprise Modelling (Paul Johannesson) - 9) Capturing System Intentionality with Maps (Colette Rolland) - 10) Conceptual Modeling and Software Design of Multi-Agent Systems (David Kung, Krishna Kavi) - 11) Agent Approach to Online Legal Trade (Antje Dietrich, Peter C. Lockemann, Oliver Raabe) - 12) Methods and Tools for Developing Interactive Information Systems (Anthony I. Wasserman) - 13) Conceptual Alignement of Software Production Methods (Oscar Pastor, Arturo Gonzalez, Sergio Espana) - The Co-Development of System Requirements and Functional Architecture (Klaus Pohl, Ernst Sikora) - 15) Capturing Dependability Threats in Conceptual Modelling (Guttorm Sindre, Andreas L. Opdahl) - 16 What is Being Iterated? Reflections on Iteration in Information System Engineering Processes (Nicholas Berente, Kalle Lyytinen) - 17) Systems Development in a GRIDs Environment (Keith Jeffery) - 18) Adaptive Information Systems (Barbara Pernici) - 19) Modeling of the People, by the People, for the People (John Krogstie) - 19) A Research Agenda for a Conceptual Schema-Centric Development (Antoni Olive, Jordi Cabot)

Engineering Information Systems in the Internet Context

Web services are emerging platform on the Internet to reuse and integrate software as services across the organizational boundaries. However, few researches have been done on the methodologies for creating Web service applications. This article discusses the framework of Web Services Engineering to systematically develop Web service applications.

Metrics in Method Engineering

So many software development methods have been introduced in the last decade, that one can talk about a “methodology jungle”. To aid the method developers and evaluators in fighting their way through this jungle we propose a systematic approach for measuring properties of methods. We describe two sets of metrics, which measure the complexity of diagrammatic specification techniques on the one hand, and of complete systems development methods on the other hand. Proposed metrics provide a relatively fast and simple way to analyse the technique (or method) properties, and when accompanied with other selection criteria, can be used for estimating the cost of learning the technique and the relative complexity of a technique compared to others. To demonstrate the applicability of the metrics, we have applied them to 34 techniques and 15 methods.

Configuration of Situational Process Models: an Information Systems Engineering Perspective

Currently, one can observe a convergence of the basis technology for systems development environments. Client-server tool infrastructures due to high performance network support. Platforms with transparent operating systems, e.g. Unix based PCs and workstations. Standard graphical user-interfaces (X-windows, Motif) for fast, intuitive interaction. These technical facilities offer opportunities for a new vision on systems development tools: a flexible CASE workstation. For each project specifically a CASE workstation should be configured with tool components for the complete systems development life cycle (i.e. requirements engineering and software engineering). The most suitable tools are to be selected according to the application type, the available development expertise and the target infrastructure. For example, an object-oriented project could be performed using a selection of techniques from OMT and Fusion, in conjunction with a GUI development kit and a C++ programming environment. For a knowledge based system one desires to use the KADS method together with a Prolog interpreter. The CASE workstation should support any kind of project based on so-called method engineering functionality, i.e. support for the selection, adaptation and composition of tool components, together with transformation and generation utilities.

Integrating Adaptive Programming into Existing Object-Oriented Analysis and Design Methods: Do It Yourself Adaptiveness.

The principles of adaptive object-oriented programming hold many promises for the speeding up of systems development and the reuse of software. Unfortunately it is hard to study these principles without their current context of the Demeter method. In this paper the theory and instrumentation of method engineering is applied to define a clear, concise and ready-to-use method fragment to support adaptive functionality specifications. The fragment is not embedded in the context of a specific method and can be used to integrate adaptiveness into nearly all object-oriented analysis and design methods. As an example the fragment is integrated into Object Modeling Technique (OMT) from Rumbaugh et al.

Description and Manipulation of Method Fragments for Situational Method Assembly

Abstract This paper deals with project-specific or situational methods, assembled out of proven parts of existing IS development methods, so-called method fragments. The need to employ situational methods stems from the observation that standard information system development methods cannot anticipate adequately to new developments and are difficult to tune to specific situations. An overview of the process of situational method engineering is given, along with an architecture for the required computerised support tool. In assembling situational methods, a product-oriented viewpoint is adopted, taking the products to be delivered as a starting point for the processes required. After an introduction to the method fragment description language MEL , a classification of method fragments, a layering, and a strategy to build the process aspect of a situational method are described.

Erratum to: Engineering Information Systems in the Internet Context

Erratum to: C. Rolland et al. (Eds.) Engineering Information Systems in the Internet Context DOI: 10.1007/978-0-387-35614-3

Success and Failure in Offshore Development Projects

This chapter describes an in-depth analysis of successful and unsuccessful offshore custom software development (CSD) projects. Offshore projects tend to be unsuccessful, because physical, time, cultural, organizational, and stakeholder distances negatively influence communication and knowledge exchange between onshore and offshore project team members. The success rate of 19 offshore CSD projects was characterized with regard to scope, quality, time, and costs, by interviewing onshore and offshore project managers. Unsuccessful projects had a complex organization and team members who did not work together in previous projects. All reasons for success and failure were categorized and compared. A characteristic that successful projects had in common was the availability of informal mutual adjustment, which means facilitating the informal communication between the team members in the right way. A major characteristic that unsuccessful projects had in common was improper planning, which has a large influence on the team results in an offshore CSD project. The implementation of standards was neither mentioned by the successful projects as a major reason for success, nor by the unsuccessful projects as a major reason for failure. This research advises that in order to be successful, a project manager of a new offshore CSD project should not spend too much time on standards, but on planning and informal mutual adjustment.