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Challenging a Transformation-Wise Architecture Framework in a Comparative Case Study

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Model-Driven Engineering and Software Development (MODELSWARD 2015)

Part of the book series: Communications in Computer and Information Science ((CCIS,volume 580))

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Abstract

The maintenance and evolution of software architecture models may become tricky when design rationale is lost over time. Lots of requirements and decisions must be taken into account when dealing with software architecture, such that proper traceability mechanisms should be used all over the system life-cycle. In a previous work, we specified an architectural framework based on domain specific languages meant to address this traceability problem. We now relate a comparative case study we conducted over a simulated project where participants had to develop an online book store in two phases, the second phase imitating a system evolution. We evaluated the functional completeness of the software they built as well as the traceability of design decisions and rationale. The participants were also asked to criticize the design method and language they used in a feedback report and through a questionnaire. Even if the size of the case study is rather limited, it clearly highlights the advantages of our approach regarding, among others, its expressiveness and decisions traceability (The present paper is a revised version of SA design by stepwise transformations [8]).

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The complete list can be found in [7].

  2. 2.

    We use median instead of arithmetic means because the sampling is rather small and we are mainly interested in central tendencies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. PReCISE Research Center, University of Namur, Namur, Belgium

    Fabian Gilson & Vincent Englebert

Authors
  1. Fabian Gilson
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  2. Vincent Englebert
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Correspondence to Fabian Gilson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. SOFTEAM, Paris, France

    Philippe Desfray

  2. Department of Systems and Informatics, Polytechnic Institute of SetĂşbal, SetĂşbal, Portugal

    Joaquim Filipe

  3. MODESTE/ESEO, Angers, France

    Slimane Hammoudi

  4. University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands

    LuĂ­s Ferreira Pires

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Gilson, F., Englebert, V. (2015). Challenging a Transformation-Wise Architecture Framework in a Comparative Case Study. In: Desfray, P., Filipe, J., Hammoudi, S., Pires, L. (eds) Model-Driven Engineering and Software Development. MODELSWARD 2015. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 580. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27869-8_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27869-8_12

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-27868-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-27869-8

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