Sharif Digital Repository

Aspect-Oriented Software Development (AOSD) concentrates on determination and modularization of orthogonal concerns that cut across system modules. An aspect-oriented extension framework helps transform existing methodologies into processes which support AOSD. The authors propose a framework for extending agile methodologies with AOSD features. The stages required for constructing the framework have been identified by scrutinizing existing aspect-oriented methodologies and practices in order to extract the AOSD-specific stages required in each phase of the agile development process. Analysis shows that a methodology extended through this framework can be superior in agility in comparison to... 

The need for constructing software development methods that have been tailored to fit specific situations and requirements has given rise to the generation of general method fragments, or process patterns. Process patterns can be seen in some third-generation integrated methodologies (such as OPEN) and in Method Engineering approaches where they are used as process components. They have also been presented as components in generic software development lifecycles where they represent classes of common practices in a specific domain or paradigm; object-oriented process patterns are well-known examples. Agile methodologies, however, are yet to be thoroughly explored in this regard. We provide a... 

Quality is one of the most important issues in the context of agile and lightweight methodologies. These methodologies recommend automated testing as the main method for quality assurance; however, they are plagued with several deficiencies in this regard, including complex and difficult-to-maintain test case scripts. Model-based testing is an approach for automating the test creation process through replacing individual test-case design with abstract models. In this paper, we explore a set of patterns based on current methods used in model-based testing which can be used to ameliorate the abovementioned deficiencies in agile/lightweight methodologies. We then demonstrate how these patterns... 

This study presents a process-driven view on the use of model-based testing (MBT) in agile/lightweight processes. It argues that process-related aspects of MBT and agile processes should be explicitly considered in any practical MBT approach intended for use in agile development (AD). It demonstrates that an effective MBT approach for lightweight processes has to specify how MBT activities are integrated into a development process, how and when MBT artefacts are generated in relation to other development artefacts, and who would carry out MBT activities. Accordingly, a set of integration criteria is introduced for complete incorporation of MBT into agile/lightweight processes. The... 

The emergence of agile software development methodologies, and the sheer number of the variants introduced, has raised the need for evaluation and comparison efforts, mostly in order to facilitate the selection or engineering of an agile methodology aimed at a specific software development situation. But existing evaluation frameworks and comparison tools do not satisfy all the needs of project managers and method engineers. The principal objectives of this paper are to introduce a fundamental basis for evaluation frameworks that target existing challenges, and also to evaluate existing evaluation frameworks in order to identify their shortcomings. To this aim, we have proposed an evaluation... 

Changes in business environment are leading firms to adopt a new production model called agile manufacturing. This term moves away from the traditional mass production paradigm and focuses on manufacturing highly customised products when customers require them. In this paper, we present an initial approach to agile organisation based on case studies in an Iranian industrial organisation. An agile organisation conceptual model has been drawn up, based on the conclusions of the case study. The study presented here is of an exploratory factor analysis and the conclusions are drawn through path analysis, propose possible routes for future research in the field of agile organisation. By the... 

Agile software development methodologies have been greeted with enthusiasm by many software developers, yet their widespread adoption has also resulted in closer examination of their strengths and weaknesses. While analyses and evaluations abound, the need still remains for an objective and systematic appraisal of Agile processes specifically aimed at defining strategies for their improvement. We provide a review of the strengths and weaknesses identified in Agile processes, based on which a Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) analysis of the processes is performed. We suggest this type of analysis as a useful tool for highlighting and addressing the problem issues in Agile... 

Agile Software Development is regarded as an effective and efficient approach, mainly due to its ability to accommodate rapidly changing requirements, and to cope with modern software development challenges. There is therefore a strong tendency to use agile software development methodologies where applicable; however, the sheer number of existing agile methodologies and their variants hinders the selection of an appropriate agile methodology or method chunk. Methodology evaluation tools address this problem through providing detailed evaluations, yet no comprehensive evaluation framework is available for agile methodologies. We introduce the Comprehensive Evaluation Framework for Agile... 

In recent years, with the growth of software engineering, agile software development methodologies have also grown substantially, replacing plan-driven approaches in many areas. Although prominent agile methodologies are in wide use today, there is no method which is suitable for all situations. It has therefore become essential to apply Situational Method Engineering (SME) approaches to produce agile methodologies that are tailored to fit specific software development situations. Since SME is a complex process, and there is a vast pool of techniques, practices, activities, and processes available for composing agile methodologies, tool support-in the form of Computer Aided Method... 

Dynamic and accessible web systems have gained utmost importance in modern life. Due to the competitive nature of such systems, they need to be superior as to performance, scalability, and security. Web systems typically require short time-to-markets, and it should be possible to easily implement new requirements into working web systems. These ideals have made agile methods especially suitable for developing such systems, as they promote productivity, facilitate continuous interaction with customers, and enhance the flexibility and quality of the software produced. When starting a web development project, selecting the methodology that fits the project situation can be an important factor... 

Agile Software Development is regarded as an effective and efficient approach, mainly due to its ability to accommodate rapidly changing requirements, and to cope with modern software development challenges. There is therefore a strong tendency to use agile software development methodologies where applicable; however, the sheer number of existing agile methodologies and their variants hinders the selection of an appropriate agile methodology or method chunk. Methodology evaluation tools address this problem through providing detailed evaluations, yet no comprehensive evaluation framework is available for agile methodologies. We introduce the Comprehensive Evaluation Framework for Agile... 

We provide a detailed review of existing object-oriented software development methodologies, focusing on their development processes. The review aims at laying bare their core philosophies, processes, and internal activities. This is done by using a process-centered template for summarizing the methodologies, highlighting the activities prescribed in the methodology while describing the modeling languages used (mainly diagrams and tables) as secondary to the activities. The descriptions produced using this template aim not to offer a critique on the methodologies and processes, but instead provide an abstract and structured description in a way that facilitates their elaborate analysis for...