Papers by Monique M J C Snoeck
Economies of scale can be seen as some kind of holy grail in state of the art literature on the d... more Economies of scale can be seen as some kind of holy grail in state of the art literature on the development of sets of related software systems. Software product line methods are often mentioned in this context, due to the variability management aspects they propose, in order to deal with sets of related software systems. They realize the sought-after reusability. Both variability management and software product lines already have a strong presence in theoretical research for several decades, but in real-life software product line projects trying to obtain economies of scale still tend to fall short of target. The objective of this paper is to study this gap between theory and reality through an empirical case study in order to see why such gap exists, and to find a way to bridge this gap. Through analysis of the causes of failure identified by the stakeholders in the case study, the underlying problem, which is found to be located in the requirements engineering phase, is crystalli...
ABSTRACT The concept of variability is not new in software engineering, but current research most... more ABSTRACT The concept of variability is not new in software engineering, but current research mostly remains vague about the overall variability concept when it comes to giving a clear overview of the dimensions of variability. In this paper we evaluate the core variability concept by proposing an overview of the set of definitions concerning variability related concepts and by setting up dimensions of variability. These dimensions represent different possible views on variability for all types of stakeholders. Through an analysis of the gaps in the current state-of-the-art literature, we identify challenges for the current state-of-the-art and we propose an extension to current variability related paradigms to fill in these gaps.
Proceedings of the XVI International Conference on Human Computer Interaction - Interacción '15, 2015
Model Driven Development (MDD) has traditionally been used to support model transformations and c... more Model Driven Development (MDD) has traditionally been used to support model transformations and code generation. While plenty of techniques and tools are available to support modeling and transformations, tool support for checking the model quality in terms of semantic conformance with respect to the domain requirements is largely absent. In this work we present a model verification and validation approach based on model-driven feedback generation in a model-to-code transformation. The transformation is achieved using a single click. The generated output of the transformation is a compiled code which is achieved by a single click. This also serves as a rapid prototyping instrument that allows simulating a model (the terms prototyping and simulation are thus used interchangeably in the paper). The proposed feedback incorporation method in the generated prototype allows linking event execution in the generated code to its causes in the model used as input for the generation. The goal of the feedback is twofold: (1) to assist a modeler in validating semantic conformance of a model with respect to a domain to be engineered; (2) to support the learning perspective of less experienced modelers (such as students or junior analysts in their early career) by allowing them to detect modeling errors that result from the misinterpreted use of modeling language constructs. Within this work we focus on conceptual and platform independent models (PIM) that make use of two prominent UML diagrams – a class diagram (for modeling the structure of a system) and multiple interacting statecharts (for modeling a system's dynamic behavior). The tool has been used in the context of teaching a requirements analysis and modeling course at KU Leuven. The proposed feedback generation technique has been constantly validated by means of " usability " evaluations, and demonstrates a high level of self-reported utility of the feedback. Additionally, the findings of our experimental studies also show a significant positive impact of feedback-enabled rapid prototyping method on semantic validation capabilities of novices. Despite our focus on specific diagramming techniques, the principles of the approach presented in this work can be used to support educational feedback automation for a broader spectrum of diagram types in the context of MDD and simulation.
Asia Pac J Hum Resour, 2008
At the SMEF2006 conference, we presented our experiences with the set-up of a measurement environ... more At the SMEF2006 conference, we presented our experiences with the set-up of a measurement environment using the COCOMO II-model for software development projects in a company in the banking and insurance area. The set-up was part of a larger research project on managing efficiency aspects of software factory systems. One year of measurements later, a database of 22 projects is obtained. In this paper we will present our conclusions and findings after these first measurement results.
Het ontwikkelen van kwalitatief hoogstaande informatiesystemen is verre van gemakkelijk. De kwali... more Het ontwikkelen van kwalitatief hoogstaande informatiesystemen is verre van gemakkelijk. De kwaliteit van informatiesystemen begint bij de kwaliteit van de specificaties. In dit domein is er nog veel ruimte voor verbetering. In dit artikel illustreren we hoe bedrijfsmodellering kan bijdragen tot betere specificaties en tot betere informatiesystemen en tonen we aan wat de extra bijdrage is van de bedrijfsmodelleringsmethode MERODE. We tonen ook aan dat ook wanneer gekozen wordt om software aan te kopen, bedrijfsmodellering een nuttig instrument blijft.
This paper explores the c.apabilities of generic object-relationship models in the context of bus... more This paper explores the c.apabilities of generic object-relationship models in the context of business process modelling and business process re-engineering. The presentation is based on a framework for strategic business function typology. It is shown how generic models can be developed for each kind of business function within the typology. Business process re-engineering can· be represented by transformations of business models, corresponding to shifts within the typology framework. Although the results of the paper are presented by means of one particular dialect of the object-relationship approach, the results remain valid for all object oriented approaches that make use of objects and relationships. The paper contributes to the further formalisation of business process modelling.
During the last decade, object orientation has been advanced as a promising paradigm for software... more During the last decade, object orientation has been advanced as a promising paradigm for software construction. In addition several authors have advocated the use of formal specification techniques during software development. Formal methods enable reasoning (in a mathematical sense) about properties of programs and systems. It is clear that also object oriented software development can benefit from the use of formal techniques. But although the object oriented analysis (OOA) methods claim to provide the necessary concepts and tools to improve the quality of software development, they are in general informal. This is surprising as the modeling techniques used in OOA have a high potential for formalization. The purpose of this study is to compare the specification techniques used in current OOA-methods. In particular, the degree of formality provided by most of the methods is discussed and evaluated from a quality control perspective.
Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2015
ABSTRACT In this paper we present our experience in the experimental development and use of simul... more ABSTRACT In this paper we present our experience in the experimental development and use of simulation instrument for learning object-oriented conceptual modeling in a master level course on analysis and design of information systems. The focus of our research is on the teaching of one particular topic in object-oriented conceptual modeling - inheritance. The results from the pilot experimental study (with a student sample N = 32), demonstrate a positive effect of simulation-based learning method on the under-standing by novice business analysts of the concept of inheritance when applied in a conceptual model.
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Papers by Monique M J C Snoeck