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A Meta-Method for Defining Software Engineering Methods

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Graph Transformations and Model-Driven Engineering

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNPSE,volume 5765))

Abstract

Today’s software systems demand for sophisticated software engineering processes and methods. Especially the globally distributed development of large software systems requires precise and documented methods, but also lightweight and agile methods need to have a precise foundation. Effort that is invested once in the methods can be systematically reused in projects. We describe MetaME, a meta-method for modeling and tailoring software engineering methods. It builds on a meta-model of software engineering concepts. MetaME combines ideas from meta-modeling and method engineering. The meta-method comprises a product dimension and a process dimension. When the meta-method is applied, software development concepts are paired with languages for their representation to form artifact types. In the process dimension of the software engineering method, software development tasks are described as operations that act upon the artifacts. These tasks are performed as activities in the method’s process workflow model. Tools can then be built that use the artifact model as the foundation of their repository structure and the task and workflow models as the basis for the supported functionality.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. s-lab - Software Quality Lab, Universität Paderborn, Warburger Straße 100, D-33098, Paderborn, Germany

    Gregor Engels & Stefan Sauer

Authors
  1. Gregor Engels
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  2. Stefan Sauer
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Fakultät für Elektrotechnik, Informatik und Mathematik, University of Paderborn, Institut für Informatik Warburger Str. 100, 33098, Paderborn, Germany

    Gregor Engels

  2. Software Systems Engineering Research Group, Brandenburg Technical University at Cottbus, Konrad-Wachsmann-Allee 1, 03046, Cottbus, Germany

    Claus Lewerentz

  3. Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Paderborn, Warburger Str. 100, 33098, Paderborn, Germany

    Wilhelm Schäfer

  4. Fachgebiet Echtzeitsysteme, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Merckstraße 25, 64283, Darmstadt, Germany

    Andy Schürr

  5. Angewandte Informatik I, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstr. 30, 95447, Bayreuth, Germany

    Bernhard Westfechtel

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Engels, G., Sauer, S. (2010). A Meta-Method for Defining Software Engineering Methods. In: Engels, G., Lewerentz, C., Schäfer, W., Schürr, A., Westfechtel, B. (eds) Graph Transformations and Model-Driven Engineering. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 5765. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-17322-6_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-17322-6_18

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-17321-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-17322-6

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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