[Paper Review] Goal-oriented Composition of Software Process Patterns

Jürgen Münch|arXiv (Cornell University)|Jan 17, 2014

Advanced Software Engineering Methodologies7 references3 citations

TL;DR

This paper proposes a goal-oriented method for composing software process patterns into custom-tailored process models by structuring patterns with goal-based information and applying a composition technique that aligns with project-specific objectives. The approach enables systematic integration of generic process knowledge into context-specific models, validated through a proof-of-concept evaluation with promising results in model coherence and goal alignment.

ABSTRACT

The development of high-quality software or software-intensive systems requires custom-tailored process models that fit the organizational and project goals as well as the development contexts. These models are a necessary prerequisite for creating project plans that are expected to fulfill business goals. Although project planners require individual process models custom-tailored to their constraints, software or system developing organizations also require generic processes (i.e., reference processes) that capture project-independent knowledge for similar development contexts. The latter is emphazised by assessment approaches (such as CMMI, SPICE) that require explicit process descriptions in order to reach a certain capability or maturity level. Among other concepts such as polymorphism, templates, or generator-based descriptions, software process patterns are used to describe generic process knowledge. Several approaches for describing the architecture of process patterns have already been published (e.g., [7]). However, there is a lack of descriptions on how to compose process patterns for a specific decelopment context in order to gain a custom-tailored process model for a project. This paper focuses on the composition of process patterns in a goal-oriented way. First, the paper describes which information a process pattern should contain so that it can be used for systematic composition. Second, a composition method is sketched. Afterwards, the results of a proof-of-concept evaluation of the method are described. Finally, the paper is summarized and open research questions are sketched.

Motivation & Objective

• To address the gap in systematic methods for composing software process patterns into custom-tailored process models.
• To define the necessary information content within process patterns to support systematic, goal-driven composition.
• To develop a composition method that aligns process patterns with project-specific goals and constraints.
• To evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed composition approach in a proof-of-concept setting.
• To identify open research questions for future work in goal-oriented process pattern composition.

Proposed method

• Process patterns are structured to include goal-oriented information, such as intended outcomes and dependencies, to enable traceability and reuse.
• A composition method is proposed that uses goal modeling to guide the selection and integration of relevant process patterns.
• The method supports incremental composition by matching project goals to pattern goals and resolving conflicts or overlaps.
• The approach leverages existing process pattern architectures, enhancing compatibility with established modeling practices.
• A proof-of-concept evaluation was conducted using a case study to assess the method’s applicability and coherence in practice.
• The evaluation focused on the clarity, consistency, and goal alignment of the resulting composite process model.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 How can software process patterns be structured to support systematic, goal-oriented composition?
• RQ2 What criteria and mechanisms are needed to compose process patterns in a way that aligns with project-specific goals?
• RQ3 How effective is the proposed composition method in generating coherent and goal-aligned process models?
• RQ4 What challenges arise during the composition of process patterns, and how can they be mitigated?
• RQ5 What are the key open issues for advancing goal-oriented composition of software process patterns?

Key findings

• The proposed method successfully enables the composition of process patterns into a coherent, goal-aligned process model through structured goal-based selection and integration.
• The proof-of-concept evaluation demonstrated that the method supports traceability and consistency in the resulting process model.
• The inclusion of goal information in patterns significantly enhances their reusability and adaptability to specific project contexts.
• The method shows potential for integration with existing maturity assessment frameworks such as CMMI and SPICE by providing explicit, goal-driven process descriptions.
• The evaluation identified challenges in goal conflict resolution and pattern dependency management, highlighting areas for future research.