An Approach for Assessment of Software Development Methodologies Suitability

摘要

Different software development methodologies (SDM) have been developed in the past decades to optimize and improve the process of software development. One of the reasons for the variety of available SDM is the need for development of different types of software systems which can range from small and simple (e.g. software for simple web-shops) to highly specialised and complex software systems (e.g. software for information systems used in manufacture based on complex mathematical models [1]). Consequentially, organisations dealing with software development face the problem how to select a SDM that best suits their requirements. Unfortunately, these organisations often lack knowledge and experience to be able to objectively evaluate different types of SDMs and select a suitable one. This leads to selection of a SDM that is only partially suited to the organisation's requirements. To improve this situation we propose an approach that aids organisations dealing with software development to select a SDM that is suited to their requirements and expectations. Both, researchers and practitioners have addressed the problem of selecting a suitable SDM. For example, Cockburn [2] provides a decision model that helps select the suitable SDM from a family of SDMs named Crystal. Another example can be found in [3], where a specialised evaluation model that considers agile SDMs is discussed. An example can also be found in Rational Unified Process (RUP) in form of guidelines for tailoring RUP to the needs of a development project. Different guidelines for SDM selection are also provided by the research in the field of method engineering [4]. However, all these approaches consider only a relatively small number of different SDM properties and often do not provide recommendations for selection of a specific SDM but give only general guidelines or are limited only to one SDM family. Nevertheless, they can serve as basis for creation of general decision rules regarding SDM selection. The course of our research was as follows. In the first part of the research we reviewed literature regarding SDM selection and studied different decision model designs. We proposed to use multi-attribute approach [5] that is suitable to manage large property sets. Based on the reviewed literature and our experience we proposed sets of properties and decision rules and integrated them into a coherent approach. In the second part of the research we tested the approach on already completed real-life projects. We validated the results produced by the approach by discussing them with experts in the field of SDM. In the third part of the research we applied the approach in a real-life case to help select a suitable SDM. This part of the research was performed as a case study [6]. The paper is organised in the following manner. A general overview of the research and related works presented in introduction is followed by "Properties used in the approach" section that gives an overview of the proposed SDM and project properties. Next, in "Decision rules" section we discuss the organisation and use of the decision rules and in "Processing the properties and the decision rules" section we explain how the recommendations for the selection of a SDM are computed. Practical application of the approach and its results are presented in "Case study: application of the approach in a software development company" section. Finally, "Conclusion and further work" section summarizes the results of the research and presents further possibilities for improvements of the approach.