{"id":1387,"date":"2010-07-23T07:00:34","date_gmt":"2010-07-23T15:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.formtek.com\/blog\/?p=1387"},"modified":"2010-07-23T07:00:34","modified_gmt":"2010-07-23T15:00:34","slug":"methodology-semat-and-next-generation-software-engineering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/formtek.com\/blog\/methodology-semat-and-next-generation-software-engineering\/","title":{"rendered":"Methodology: SEMAT and Next Generation Software Engineering"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In October of last year a new organization was founded called <a title=\"SEMAT -- Software Engineering Method and Theory\" href=\"http:\/\/www.semat.org\/bin\/view\" target=\"_blank\">SEMAT <\/a>(Software Engineering Method and Theory)\u00a0with the goal of trying to bring about more rigor to the world of software engineering, or as the SEMAT&#8217;s charter says, to &#8220;refound software engineering based on a solid theory, proven principles, and best practices&#8221;. \u00a0The criticism is that software development needs to move more towards the direction of science than towards an art. \u00a0It should be grounded more firmly in theory. \u00a0 The group has the backing of well-known Software Development luminaries like Erich Gamma, Ivar Jacobson, Bertrand Meyer, and Richard Soley.<\/p>\n<p>The goal of SEMAT is a laudable one. \u00a0 The defining manifesto for SEMAT is:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Software engineering is gravely hampered today by immature practices. Specific problems include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The prevalence of fads more typical of fashion industry than of an engineering discipline.<\/li>\n<li>The lack of a sound, widely accepted theoretical basis.<\/li>\n<li>The huge number of methods and method variants, with differences little understood and artificially magnified.<\/li>\n<li>The lack of credible experimental evaluation and validation.<\/li>\n<li>The split between industry practice and academic research.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><a title=\"SEMAT Working Groups\" href=\"http:\/\/sematblog.wordpress.com\/2010\/03\/29\/the-first-semat-workshop-a-blueprint-for-semat\/\" target=\"_blank\">Working groups<\/a> within SEMAT have been created that include:<\/p>\n<div id=\"_mcePaste\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>Definitions <\/strong>\u2013 definition of Software Engineering<\/div>\n<div id=\"_mcePaste\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>Theory <\/strong>\u2013 identification of supporting theory (mathematical and other)<\/div>\n<div id=\"_mcePaste\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>Universals <\/strong>\u2013 identification of the \u00a0elements of a software engineering kernel<\/div>\n<div id=\"_mcePaste\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>Kernel Language<\/strong> \u2013 definition of a language to express the elements<\/div>\n<div id=\"_mcePaste\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>Assessment <\/strong>\u2013 methodology to evaluate software engineering practices and theories<\/div>\n<p>It&#8217;s somewhat surprising that SEMAT has been the focus of some <a title=\"Criticisms of SEMAT\" href=\"http:\/\/alistair.cockburn.us\/Why+I+withdrew+from+SEMAT\" target=\"_blank\">heated criticisms<\/a> and discussions. \u00a0Most agree that it may take the group many years before it will be able to make significant progress. \u00a0\u00a0Many 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&#8217;t be very practical.<\/p>\n<p>I think it&#8217;s too early to tell; it&#8217;s been less than a year since the group was formed. \u00a0There are some incredibly smart people participating in SEMAT. \u00a0Let&#8217;s give it time and see how it plays out. \u00a0It&#8217;s better to try and to fail than to not try at all.<\/p>\n<div class=\"lightsocial_container\"><div class=\"lightsocial_element\"><a class=\"lightsocial_a\" href=\"http:\/\/digg.com\/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Fformtek.com%2Fblog%2Fmethodology-semat-and-next-generation-software-engineering%2F&amp;title=\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lightsocial_img\" src=\"https:\/\/formtek.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/light-social\/digg.png\" alt=\"Digg This\" title=\"Digg This\" \/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"lightsocial_element\"><a class=\"lightsocial_a\" 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