Agile MERODE: a model-driven software engineering method for user-centric and value-based development

Agile is often associated with a lack of architectural thinking causing technical debt but has the advantage of user centricity and a strong focus on value. Model-driven software engineering (MDSE) strongly performs for building a quality architecture and code, but lacks focus on user requirements a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Software and systems modeling Vol. 21; no. 4; pp. 1469 - 1494
Main Authors: Snoeck, Monique, Wautelet, Yves
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.08.2022
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects:
Architecture
Compilers
Computer Science
Domains
Information Systems Applications (incl.Internet)
Interpreters
IT in Business
Programming Languages
Programming Techniques
Software Engineering
Software Engineering/Programming and Operating Systems
Theme Section Paper
User requirements
Model-driven engineering
MERODE
Behavior-driven development
User story
BDD
Agile
User stories
ISSN:1619-1366, 1619-1374
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Agile is often associated with a lack of architectural thinking causing technical debt but has the advantage of user centricity and a strong focus on value. Model-driven software engineering (MDSE) strongly performs for building a quality architecture and code, but lacks focus on user requirements and tends to consider development as a monolithic whole. The combination of Agile and MDSE has been explored, but a convincing integrated method has not been proposed yet. This paper addresses this gap by exploring the specific combination of MERODE—as an example of a proven MDSE method—with Scrum, a reference agile method offering a concrete (sprint-based) life cycle management on the basis of user stories. The method resulting of this integration is called Agile MERODE; it is driven by user stories, themselves associated with behavior-driven development scenarios. It allows for domain-driven design and permits fast development from domain models by means of code generation. An illustrative example further clarifies the practical application of Agile MERODE, while a case study shows the planning game application in the case’s context. While the approach, in its entirety, allows reducing technical debt by building the architecture in a logical, consistent and complete manner, introducing MDSE involves a trade-off with pure value-driven development. Agile MERODE contributes to the state of the art by showing how to increase user centricity in MDSE, how to align model-driven engineering with the Scrum cycle, and how to reduce the technical debt of agile developments yet remaining value-focused.
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ISSN:1619-1366
1619-1374
DOI:10.1007/s10270-022-01015-y