2nd international workshop on rapid continuous software engineering (RCoSE 2015)

Software engineers have to cope with uncertainties and changing requirements. Agile methods provide flexibility towards changes and the emergence of continuous delivery has made regular feedback loops possible. The abilities to maintain high code quality through reviews, to regularly release software, and to collect and prioritize user feedback, are necessary for continuous software engineering (CSE). However, there exists no software process metamodel that handles the continuous character of software engineering. In this paper, we describe an empirical process metamodel for continuous software engineering called CSEPM, which treats development activities as parallel running workflows and allows tailoring and customization. CSEPM includes static aspects that describe the relations between specific CSE concepts including reviews, releases, and feedback. It also describes the dynamic aspect of CSE, how development workflows are activated through change events. We show how CSEPM allows to instantiate linear, iterative, agile and continuous process models and how it enables tailoring and customization.

From its earliest days, software development has been beset with challenges in relation to timely delivery, appropriateness of features, and quality of deliverables. Many advances in software development processes have helped to address these concerns. For example, agile software development has helped to deliver working software more frequently, and capability maturity frameworks have brought about improved consistency in quality levels. However, the age‐old challenge of better, cheaper, faster software has continued to beguile developers. In this paper, we discuss an emerging approach to software development, continuous software engineering (CSE), wherein software of operational quality may be delivered on a very frequent basis, up to many times in a given day. This approach uses a complex set of independent tools that together reduce the lead time in delivering commercial‐grade software. Having examined the situational context of one industrial organization applying CSE, we conclude that the approach may not presently be appropriate to all manners of software development. Nonetheless, the authors are of the view that CSE represents a significant progression in software engineering and that software development settings of all types stand to gain from aspects of the CSE approach.

Context: Continuous Software Engineering (CSE) involves a set of practices that aims at making software development continuous and integrated to business. However, moving from traditional to integrated, agile and data-driven software development requires changes in the organization´s culture, practices and structure, which may not be easy. Objective: Our focus is to help organizations get an overall view of the CSE practices they perform, identify where they are in the CSE evolutionary path and which areas should be improved. Method: We created a diagnosis instrument, called Zeppelin, to evaluate the adoption of CSE practices and applied it in five Brazilian software organizations. Results: Zeppelin was recognized as a useful tool to help organizations have a more comprehensive view of their CSE practices and envision the evolution and improvement path they can follow. Conclusion: Zeppelin supports software development organizations to get a big picture of CSE practices and identify their position in the CSE evolution path. Moreover, it contributes to identify strategies to advance software development towards a CSE environment.

Today's advanced agile practices such as Continuous Integration and Test-Driven Development support a wide range of software development activities to facilitate the rapid delivery of high-quality software. However, the reuse of pre-existing, third-party software components is not one of them. Software reuse is still primarily perceived as a time-consuming, unsystematic and ultimately, discontinuous activity even though it aims to deliver the same basic benefits as continuous software engineering - namely, a reduction in the time and effort taken to deliver quality software. However, the increasingly central role of testing in continuous software engineering offers a way of addressing this problem by exploiting the new generation of test-driven search engines that can harvest components based on tests. This search technology not only exploits artifacts that have already been created as part of the continuous testing process to harvest components, it returns results that have a high likelihood of being fit for purpose and thus of being worth reusing. In this paper, we propose to augment continuous software engineering with the rapid, continuous reuse of software code units by integrating the test-driven mining of software artifact repositories into the continuous integration process. More specifically, we propose to use tests written as part of the Test-First Development approach to perform test-driven searches for matching functionality while developers are working on their normal development activities. We discuss the idea of rapid, continuous code reuse based on recent advances in our test-driven search platform and elaborate on scenarios for its application in the future.

Rapid Continuous Software Engineering

Rapid continuous software engineering refers to the organizational capability to develop, release and learn from software in very short rapid cycles, typically hours, days or very small numbers of weeks. This requires not only agile processes in teams but in the complete research and development organization. Additionally, the technology used in the different development phases, like requirements engineering and system integration, must support the quick development cycles. Finally, automatic live experimentation for different system alternatives enables fast gathering of required data for decision making.

Agile processes are not a technology, not a science, not a product. They constitute a space somewhat hard to define. Agile methods, or more precisely agile software development methods or processes, are a family of approaches and practices for developing software systems. Any attempt to define them runs into egos and marketing posturing. For our purposes here, we can define this space in two ways: By enumeration. Pointing to recognizable members of the set: XP, scrum, lean development, DSDM, Crystal, FDD, Agile RUP or OpenUP, etc.

This book provides essential insights on the adoption of modern software engineering practices at large companies producing software-intensive systems, where hundreds or even thousands of engineers collaborate to deliver on new systems and new versions of already deployed ones. It is based on the findings collected and lessons learned at the Software Center (SC), a unique collaboration between research and industry, with Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg University and Malm University as academic partners and Ericsson, AB Volvo, Volvo Car Corporation, Saab Electronic Defense Systems, Grundfos, Axis Communications, Jeppesen (Boeing) and Sony Mobile as industrial partners. The 17 chapters present the Stairway to Heaven model, which represents the typical evolution path companies move through as they develop and mature their software engineering capabilities. The chaptersdescribe theoretical frameworks, conceptual models and, most importantly, the industrial experiences gained by the partner companies in applying novel software engineering techniques. The books structure consists of six parts. Part I describes the model in detail and presents an overview of lessons learned in the collaboration between industry and academia. Part II deals with the first step of the Stairway to Heaven, in which R&D adopts agile work practices. Part III of the book combines the next two phases, i.e., continuous integration (CI) and continuous delivery (CD), as they are closely intertwined. Part IV is concerned with the highest level, referred to as R&D as an innovation system, while Part V addresses a topic that is separate from the Stairway to Heaven and yet critically important in large organizations: organizational performance metrics that capture data, and visualizations of the status of software assets, defects and teams. Lastly, Part VI presents the perspectives of two of the SC partner companies. The book is intended for practitioners and professionals in the software-intensive systems industry, providing concrete models, frameworks and case studies that show the specific challenges that the partner companies encountered, their approaches to overcoming them, and the results. Researchers will gain valuable insights on the problems faced by large software companies, and on how to effectively tackle them in the context of successful cooperation projects.

Context: Large-scale offshore software development programmes are complex, with challenging deadlines and a high risk of failure. Agile methods are being adopted, despite the challenges of coordinating multiple development teams. Agile processes are tailored to support team coordination. Artefacts are tangible products of the software development process, intended to ensure consistency in the approach of teams on the same development programme.Objective: This study aims to increase understanding of how development processes are tailored to meet the needs of large-scale offshore software development programmes, by focusing on artefact inventories used in the development process.Method: A grounded theory approach using 46 practitioner interviews, supplemented with documentary sources and observations, in nine international companies was adopted. The grounded theory concepts of open coding, memoing, constant comparison and saturation were used in data analysis.Results: The study has identified 25 artefacts, organised into five categories: feature, sprint, release, product and corporate governance. It was discovered that conventional agile artefacts are enriched with artefacts associated with plan-based methods in order to provide governance. The empirical evidence collected in the study has been used to identify a primary owner of each artefact and map each artefact to specific activities within each of the agile roles.Conclusion: The development programmes in this study create agile and plan-based artefacts to improve compliance with enterprise quality standards and technology strategies, whilst also mitigating risk of failure. Management of these additional artefacts is currently improvised because agile development processes lack corresponding ceremonies.

Agile methods and practices are gaining momentum in industry, and are also slowly making their way in academia bringing fresh air and funny new jargon. Some practitioners consider them as the ultimate advance in software engineering. But what do we know about this? Where is the evidence? Do they scale? Do they solve real issues or just substitute new issues to old ones? Are the benefits tangible, or just acts of faith? Aren't we all agile? Are they no agile failures? Isn't the "waterfall process" - that piñata of agilistas--the real holy grail of software engineering, and agile processes only a Band-Aid to compensate for our deficiencies? This workshop aims at challenging the ready-made ideas, the fluff, the hype, putting things into context, and examining these with fresh and open eyes.

In earlier software development all process is completed and implemented but now this is not a scenario. In modern era changes are frequent to any software product or module which is under development phase, due to market competitions priority of requirement changes Due to the fact that the traditional process models are incompatible with these changes, agile methodology is used instead.. Earlier waterfall model was convenient because of less requirement of features and emergency of the application in the short period of time .This Paper Discusses the comparative Analysis of waterfall model and agile methodologies while agile methodologies are taking over, even the waterfall model is older and time consuming it is still use in many sectors The paper will help other software development process models. Agile method plays important role in the areas of software project management, software schedule management etc. The main aim of the agile is Customer satisfaction as well as faster development with low defect rate. This paper reflects the comparison of the agile processes with waterfall model software development life cycle model. Agile processes aren't always beneficial; they have their own set of downsides. Agile method promotes continuous iteration of development and testing throughout the software developed.

This research aimed to design and develop a one stop service system for Educational Media and Technology Services based on User Experience Design and Agile method. The research design into two phases, first phase was the development of the one stop service system based on User Experience (UX) and Agile Method, and the second phase was the evaluation of efficiency and usability of the developed system. For this paper will show the first phase for developing the one stop service online system. The samples of this phase were the staffs who worked in production and service division in Center of Media and Educational Technology (CEMT), the undergrad students, lecturers and the others support staff from different department in Srinakharinwirot University, Bangkok. The instruments was the interview form of the requirement and specific request from user needs. The methodology was follow by using Agile process. The result from first phase was the developed system with the integrated processes of UX and Agile Method, which could be present's processes matched in the format of UX:Agile as follows: 1) understand, research: sprint planning, 2) sketch: design, 3) design: develop, 4) implement: test, and 5) evaluation: review.

Continuous Systems and Software Engineering for Industry 4.0: A disruptive view

The increasing size of software systems and the emergence of increasingly autonomous systems demands innovative software engineering practices. The way software is being developed and maintained is rapidly changing and must take into account multifaceted constraints like fast-changing and unpredictable markets, complex and changing customer requirements, pressures of shorter time-to-market, and rapidly advancing information technologies, to name just a few of these new aspects. To cope with such constraints, software is increasingly produced according to rapid continuous software engineering development processes. The International Conference on Software Architecture (ICSA), is the premier platform for academia and industry to join efforts in addressing these challenges, bringing innovative solutions to the problems we face in the software architecture domain.

Agile processes focus on the early facilitation and fast production of working code, and are based on software-development process models that support iterative, incremental development of software. Although agile methods have existed for a number of years now, answers to questions concerning the suitability of agile processes to particular software-development environments are still often based on anecdotal accounts of experiences. An appreciation of the (often unstated) assumptions underlying agile processes can lead to a better understanding of the applicability of agile processes to particular situations. Agile processes are less likely to be applicable in situations in which core assumptions do not hold. This article examines the principles and advocated practices of agile processes to identify underlying assumptions. It also identifies limitations that may arise from these assumptions and outlines how the limitations can be addressed by incorporating other software-development techniques and practices into agile development environments.