Understanding Agile Software, Extreme Programming, and Agile Modeling

Failure rates for systems development projects are estimated to approach 50% (Hirsch, 2002). In such an environment, a growing number of developers propose the use of so-called agile methodologies as one means of improving the systems developed while simultaneously decreasing failure rates. Agile proponents insist that adherence to The Agile Manifesto will improve the entire systems development process. This chapter begins by describing some of the agile methodologies, follows that with an overview of current research in the area, and closes with thoughts on possibilities for future applied research into the agile methodologies that could provide evidence supporting or disputing the many claims for success emerging from the field.

Theories and Models

This chapter is about conceptualizing the applicability of grid related technologies for supporting intelligence in decision-making. It aims to discuss how the open grid service architecture—data, access integration (OGSA-DAI) can facilitate the discovery of and controlled access to vast data-sets, to assist intelligence in decision making. Trust is also identified as one of the main challenges for intelligence in decision-making. On this basis, the implications and challenges of using grid technologies to serve this purpose are also discussed. To further the explanation of the concepts and practices associated with the process of intelligence in decision-making using grid technologies, a minicase is employed incorporating a scenario. That is to say, “Synergy Financial Solutions Ltd” is presented as the minicase, so as to provide the reader with a central and continuous point of reference.

Method Chunks to Federate Development Processes

Method engineering aims at providing effective solutions to build, improve, and support the evolution of development methodologies. Contributions in the field of situational method engineering aim at providing techniques and tools allowing one to build project-specific methodologies. However, little research has focused on how to tailor such situational methodologies when used as organization-wide standard approaches. Moreover, current approaches have been thought of for method engineers, that is to say, expert users, and they are not enough dedicated to nonexpert ones. In this context, we propose an approach that consists of federating the method chunks built from the different project-specific methods in order to allow each project to share its best practices with the other projects without imposing to all of them a new and unique organization-wide method.

Matching Models of Different Abstraction Levels

This chapter deals with the reuse of models, which assists in constructing new models on the basis of existing knowledge. Some of the activities that support model reuse, such as model construction, retrieval, and validation, may involve matching models on the basis of semantic and structural similarity. However, matching for the purposes of retrieval and validation relates to models of different abstraction levels, hence structural similarity is difficult to assess. This chapter proposes the concept of refinement equivalence, which means that a detailed model is a refinement of an abstract model. It emphasizes the use of refinement equivalence for the purpose of validating a detailed application model against an abstract domain model in the context of a domain analysis approach called application-based domain modeling (ADOM). We discuss the structural characteristics of refinement operations in object-process methodology (OPM) models, and present an algorithm that detects refinement equivalence.

Adaptation of an Agile Information System Development Method

Little specific research has been conducted to date on the adaptation of agile information systems development (ISD) methods. This chapter presents the work practice in dealing with the adaptation of such a method in the ISD department of one of the leading financial institutes in Europe. The chapter introduces the idea of method adaptation as an underlying phenomenon concerning how an agile method has been adapted to a project situation or vice versa in the case organization. In this respect, method adaptation is conceptualized as a process or capability in which agents holding intentions through responsive changes in, and dynamic interplays between, contexts and method fragments determine an appropriate method for a specific project situation. Two forms of method adaptation, static adaptation and dynamic adaptation, are introduced and discussed in detail. We provide some insights plus an instrument that the ISD department studied uses to deal with the dynamic method adaptation. To enhance our understanding of the observed practice, we take into account two complementary perspectives: the engineering perspective and the socio-organizational perspective. Practical and theoretical implications of this study are discussed.

Lost in Business Process Model Translations

Often, different process models are employed in different phases of the BPM life cycle, each providing a different approach for capturing business processes. Efforts have been undertaken to overcome the disintegration of process models by providing complementary standards for design and execution. However, this claim has not yet been fulfilled. A prominent example is the seemingly complementary nature of BPMN and BPEL. The mapping between these process modeling languages is still unsolved and poses challenges to practitioners and academics. This chapter discusses the problem of translating between process modeling languages. We argue that there is conceptual mismatch between modeling languages stemming from various perspectives of the business-process management life cycle that must be identified for seamless integration. While we focus on the popular case of BPMN vs. BPEL, our approach is generic and can be utilized as a guiding framework for identifying conceptual mismatch between other process modeling languages.

Modality of Business Rules

A business domain is typically subject to various business rules. In practice, these rules may be of different modalities (e.g., alethic and deontic). Alethic rules impose necessities, which cannot, even in principle, be violated by the business. Deontic rules impose obligations, which may be violated, even though they ought not to be. Conceptual modeling approaches typically confine their specification of constraints to alethic rules. This chapter discusses one way to model deontic rules, especially those of a static nature. A formalization based on modal operators is provided, and some challenging semantic issues are examined from both logical and pragmatic perspectives. Because of its richer semantics, the main graphic notation used is that of object-role modeling (ORM). However, the main ideas could be adapted for UML and ER as well. A basic implementation of the proposed approach has been prototyped in Neumont ORM Architect (NORMA), a software tool that supports automated verbalization of both alethic and deontic rules.

Modeling and Analyzing Perspectives to Support Knowledge Management

This chapter introduces a generic modeling approach that explicitly represents the perspectives of stakeholders and their evolution traversing a collaborative process. This approach provides a mechanism to analytically identify the interdependencies among stakeholders and to detect conflicts and reveal their intricate causes and effects. Collaboration is thus improved through efficient knowledge management. This chapter also describes a Web-based information system that uses the perspective model and the social network analysis methodology to support knowledge management within collaboration.

Agile Software Development in Practice

This chapter explores agile information practices of information systems development and argues that their history is much longer than what is generally believed today. We take an interpretive and critical view of the phenomenon. We made an empirical study of two companies that apply an XP-style development approach throughout the information systems development life cycle. The results of our research suggest that XP is a combination of best practices of traditional information systems development methods. It is hindered by its reliance on talented individuals, which makes its large-scale deployment as a general-purpose method difficult. We claim that XP can be useful for small colocated teams of skilled domain experts and implementers who are able to communicate well with the end users. However, these skilled and motivated individuals with high working morale can exhibit high productivity regardless of the methods used if they are not overly constrained by bureaucracy.

On the Use of Object-Role Modeling for Modeling Active Domains

This chapter is about how the object-role modeling (ORM) language and approach can be used for the integration, at a deep and formal level, of various domain modeling representations and viewpoints, with a focus on the modeling of active domains. The authors argue that ORM is particularly suited for enabling such integration because of its generic conceptual nature; its useful, existing connection with natural language and controlled languages; and its formal rigor. They propose the logbook paradigm as an effective perspective in active domains modeling and for the derivation of domain grammars. They show how standard ORM can be extended to an object-role calculus (ORC), including temporal concepts and constraints that enable the modeling of active domains. A suggestion for graphical representation is also provided. The authors hope to contribute to the integration of domain models and viewpoints in an academic and educational context rather than proposing ORM and ORC as new modeling tools in an industrial setting.