Relevance, Benefits, and Barriers of Software Modelling and Model Driven Techniques
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The document summarizes a survey of software professionals in Italy and Germany on their use of software modeling and model-driven techniques (MD*). The survey found that modeling is highly relevant, with key benefits including improved productivity, maintenance support, and flexibility. MD* techniques increase the likelihood of achieving benefits. Main barriers to adoption include techniques requiring too much effort and not being useful enough. The study provides evidence on the benefits and barriers of modeling and MD* to inform practitioners and researchers.
![Questionnaire paths
Sub02
Dev08
Mod14
Lan28
Lan25
Mod19a
Sub04Sub03
Sub05, Dev06, Dev07
Dev09 Dev09
Dev10, Dev11,
Mod12a, Mod12b, Mod13
Mod15
Mod16, Mod17, Mod18
Mod19b
Mod20, .. Mod24
Lan27
Lan29b
Lan29a
Lan29b
Legal kind of the
firm?
Are models used?
Percentage of
code generated
from models?
Have editors of other
supporting tools been
developed?
Is UML used?
Are any Domain
Specific Languages
used?
[else]
[freelance or
Individual firm]
[Sometimes]
[Always]
[Never]
[ >0 ]
[else]
[else]
[yes]
[yes]
[else]
[textual]
[textual/graphical]
[else]
Sub03
Lan26
[yes]
[else]
Lan29a
[graphical]](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/20160223mddsurveychalmers-160225205156/85/Relevance-Benefits-and-Barriers-of-Software-Modelling-and-Model-Driven-Techniques-6-320.jpg)
Relevance, Benefits, and Barriers of Software Modelling and Model Driven Techniques
- 1. Relevance, Benefits, and Barriers of Software Modelling and Model Driven Techniques A Survey in the Italian and German Industry Marco Torchiano A joint research conducted with: F. Tomassetti (PoliTo, IT), F. Ricca, A. Tiso, and G. Reggio (UniGe, IT) A. Vetrò, W. Böhm (TUM, DE)
- 2. Motivation Claimed benefits of software Modelling and Model Driven techniques (MD*) are improvements in: productivity, portability, maintainability, and interoperability. Though, few efforts at collecting evidence
- 3. Goals G1 Assess the actual relevance of software modelling and MD* in the Italian industry, G2 Find out the way modelling and MD* are applied (i.e., which processes, languages and tools are used), and G3 Understand the motivations either leading to the adoption (expected benefits) or preventing it (experienced or perceived problems).
- 4. Survey design Population Italian software professionals Probabilistic Sampling Commerce Chamber DB Convenience sampling Industrial contact networks Invitations on mailing lists Advertisement in on-line magazine Advertisement on page of large developers’ conference
- 5. Questionnaire Web-based questionnaire with Lime Survey Sub: subject’s demographics Dev: development process Mod: modelling details Lan: languages and notations
- 6. Questionnaire paths Sub02 Dev08 Mod14 Lan28 Lan25 Mod19a Sub04Sub03 Sub05, Dev06, Dev07 Dev09 Dev09 Dev10, Dev11, Mod12a, Mod12b, Mod13 Mod15 Mod16, Mod17, Mod18 Mod19b Mod20, .. Mod24 Lan27 Lan29b Lan29a Lan29b Legal kind of the firm? Are models used? Percentage of code generated from models? Have editors of other supporting tools been developed? Is UML used? Are any Domain Specific Languages used? [else] [freelance or Individual firm] [Sometimes] [Always] [Never] [ >0 ] [else] [else] [yes] [yes] [else] [textual] [textual/graphical] [else] Sub03 Lan26 [yes] [else] Lan29a [graphical]
- 7. Research questions RQ1: What is the diffusion and relevance of Modelling and MD* in the Italian industry? RQ2: What are the benefits of using Modelling and MD*? RQ3: What issues hinder/prevent the adoption of modelling and MD*?
- 8. Relevance A software development technology is relevant to software engineering if it increases the likelihood of improving software development practices Technical aspects Process aspects ~ % of developers adopting it
- 9. Irrelevance Limited Relevance Normal Relevance High Relevance Relevance thresholds 10% 25% 50%
- 10. Relevance: Metrics Are models used for software development in your organization? For model we mean both diagrams, e.g., UML, and text according to any DSL Valid answers: Always; Sometimes; Never Percentage of Modellers (i.e. Always + Sometimes) Relevance
- 11. Relevance: Results All companies 32%55%13% Always Sometimes Never 10% 25% 50% Highly Relevant
- 12. Relevance: Languages 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% UML w/Profiles w/o Profiles uknown 38% 51% 11% DSL Textual Mix Graphical {Modellers 76% use UML 21% use DSLs 50% 27% 23%
- 14. Relevance: MD* techniques 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% Any Code Generation Model Interpretation Model Transformation 10% 16% 44% 48% Diffusion { Modellers
- 15. Benefits: Metrics What are the benefits verified as consequences of using modelling? Design support Improved documentation Improved development flexibility Improved productivity Quality of the software Maintenance support Platform independence Standardization Shortened reaction time to changes }Benefit achievement ratio
- 16. Unlikely Probable Likely Very Likely Likelihood thresholds 10% 25% 50%
- 17. Benefits: Results Design Documentation Maintenance Quality Standardization Flexibility Productivity Reactivity Plat. Independ. 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% Achievement Ratio Very Likely Likely Possible Unlikely
- 18. Benefits: Results Design Documentation Maintenance Quality Standardization Flexibility Productivity Reactivity Plat. Independ. 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% MD* Basic
- 19. Benefits Achievement Code Gener. Model Interpr. Model Transform Toolsmith UML UML Profiles DSL Design 2.4 Documentation 2.6 Maintenance Quality Standardization 2.2 3.9 4.7 Flexibility 3.9 3.9 3.1 Productivity 3.9 4.2 8.3 4.2 3.4 Reactivity 4 5.5 Independence 3 4.7 4.2 9.9 4.3 Odds ratios
- 20. Barriers: Metrics What are the problems preventing the adoption of modelling and MD*? Too much effort required Not useful enough Lack of competencies Lack of supporting tools Refusal from management Cost of supporting tools Refusal from developers Fear of lock-in Not flexible enough Inadequacy of supporting tools }Problem Relevance
- 21. Barriers: Results Too much effort required Not usefull enough Lack of competencies Refusal from management Lack of supporting tools Refusal from developers Inadequacy of supporting tools Cost of supporting tools Fear of lock-in Lack of flexibility 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% Diffusion Relevant Little Relevant Irrelevant 6 times more likely to occur among MD* adopters
- 22. Threats to validity Construct Did we capture the essential aspects of MD*? Internal Sampling (selection bias) External How representative of the Italian (EU) IT industry?
- 23. Benefits Very LikelyLikelyProbable ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●Productivity Maintenance support Improvement development flexibility Platform independence Standartisation Shortened reaction time to changes Improved documentation Quality of the software Design Support 0.00 0.25 0.50 0.75 1.00 Likelyhood ● New study (DE) ✕ Original (IT)
- 24. Barriers Highly RelevantRelevant Moderately Relevant ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Not useful enough Refusal from management Not flexible enough Cost of supporting tools Fear of lock in Inadequacy of supporting tools Refusal from developers Lack of competencies Too much effort required Lack of supporting tools 0.00 0.25 0.50 0.75 1.00 Relevance ● New study (DE) ✕ Original study (IT)
- 25. Conclusions MD* is a relevant technology, modeling is higly relevant A few (very) likely benefits of modeling MD* techniques make the chances of achieving the less likely benefits four+ times higher Toolsmithing provides several benefits UML apparently plays no significant role
- 26. Conclusions Main problems Too much effort estimated Not useful enough Lack of competencies Among MD*: fear of lock-in
- 27. Further details Marco Torchiano, Federico Tomassetti, Filippo Ricca, Alessandro Tiso, Gianna Reggio, Relevance, Benefits, and Problems of Software Modelling and Model Driven Techniques - A Survey in the Italian Industry, Journal of Systems and Software, 86(8), 2013, DOI: 10.1016/j.jss. 2013.03.084. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0164121213000824) Antonio Vetrò, Wolfgang Bohm, Marco Torchiano, On the Benefits and Barriers when adopting Software Modelling and Model Driven Techniques - An external, differentiated replication, Proc. 9th International Symposium on Empirical Software Engineering and Measurement (ESEM 2015), 2015, DOI: 10.1109/ESEM.2015.7321210 (http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?arnumber=7321210)
- 28. Thank you for listening Marco Torchiano http://softeng.polito.it/torchiano marco.torchiano@polito.it @mtorchiano