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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Conceptual evaluation of methods for engineering situational ISD methods

subject

description

In the past decades a large variety of techniques and methods have been introduced for software engineering (SE) and information system development (ISD). Despite this plurality, there is a need in organizations and projects to customize methods that match with their specific needs. Method engineering (ME) is the process by which a situational method is developed, customized and configured. ME work has appeared to be difficult and burdensome to carry out in practice. One reason for this is a lack of adequate methodical support. In this article, we profile and evaluate conceptually, using a contextual framework as a basis, seven comprehensive ME artifacts (i.e. techniques, procedures and methods) in terms of the support they contribute to ME work. The framework has been derived from relevant theories and experiences obtained from ME practice. The evaluation shows that the ME artifacts provide limited support for ME workflows and deploy perspectives that only partly cover the various aspects of ME contexts and SE/ISD contexts. The results of this study can help method engineers understand and structure the ME contexts at hand, recognize issues requiring particular concern, and make selections among ME artifacts. For researchers, the study reveals gaps and deficiencies in the support of ME artifacts, thus helping them direct their future research. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.