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Methodology: SEMAT and Next Generation Software Engineering
In October of last year a new organization was founded called SEMAT (Software Engineering Method and Theory) with the goal of trying to bring about more rigor to the world of software engineering, or as the SEMAT’s charter says, to “refound software engineering based on a solid theory, proven principles, and best practices”. The criticism is that software development needs to move more towards the direction of science than towards an art. It should be grounded more firmly in theory. The group has the backing of well-known Software Development luminaries like Erich Gamma, Ivar Jacobson, Bertrand Meyer, and Richard Soley.
The goal of SEMAT is a laudable one. The defining manifesto for SEMAT is:
Software engineering is gravely hampered today by immature practices. Specific problems include:
- The prevalence of fads more typical of fashion industry than of an engineering discipline.
- The lack of a sound, widely accepted theoretical basis.
- The huge number of methods and method variants, with differences little understood and artificially magnified.
- The lack of credible experimental evaluation and validation.
- The split between industry practice and academic research.
Working groups within SEMAT have been created that include:
Definitions – definition of Software Engineering
Theory – identification of supporting theory (mathematical and other)
Universals – identification of the elements of a software engineering kernel
Kernel Language – definition of a language to express the elements
Assessment – methodology to evaluate software engineering practices and theories
It’s somewhat surprising that SEMAT has been the focus of some heated criticisms and discussions. Most agree that it may take the group many years before it will be able to make significant progress. Many of the critics contend that the focus of SEMAT is way too theoretical, will result in something that is very complex, will take years to develop, and ultimately won’t be very practical.
I think it’s too early to tell; it’s been less than a year since the group was formed. There are some incredibly smart people participating in SEMAT. Let’s give it time and see how it plays out. It’s better to try and to fail than to not try at all.
