6533b829fe1ef96bd128af09

RESEARCH PRODUCT

The state of research on software engineering competencies: A systematic mapping study

Nana AssyneMirja PulkkinenHadi Ghanbari

subject

ohjelmistokehittäjätohjelmistotuotantoosaamisen kehittäminenCompetenciesMapping studyEssential competenciesCompetenceHardware and Architectureohjelmistoalasoftware developmentkompetenssiohjelmistokehityssystemaattiset kirjallisuuskatsauksetSoftwareInformation Systems

description

Considering the critical role of software in modern societies, we face an urgent need to educate more competent software professionals. Software engineering competencies (SEC) are considered the backbone of successfully developing software products. Consequently, SEC has become a hotspot for software engineering research and practice. Although scientific literature on SEC is not lacking, to our knowledge, a comprehensive overview of the current state of SEC research is missing. To that end, we conducted an extensive and systematic review of the SEC literature. We provide an overview of the current state of research on SEC, with a particular focus on common SEC research areas. In addition to reporting the available SEC models and frameworks, we compile a list of 49 unique essential competencies of software professionals. Finally, we highlight several gaps in the literature that deserve further research. In particular, we call for a better understanding of how the essential competencies of software professionals change over time, as well as fresh accounts of the essential competencies of software professionals. Additionally, considering recent shifts toward Agile and DevOps methods, future research must explore the competencies required for developing software products in modern development environments.  Peer reviewed

yearjournalcountryeditionlanguage
2022-03-01Journal of Systems and Software
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2021.111183