Learning from Rationale Research in Other Domains

While issues of rationale usage in software engineering (SE) often differ crucially from those of rationale usage in other domains, there is still the possibility of learning a great deal from research on other domains. This is suggested by the fact that rationale research in SE originally derived from Rittel's much earlier rationale research in architecture (building design), urban planning and policy making. In addition to this work, which is still not widely known in SE circles, there is research on rationale that has been going on in various engineering disciplines for as much as 20 years. All of this work provides potentially valuable lessons for SE researchers and developers. This chapter will look at some examples of this work that could have important implications for rationale research in SE.