Protocol and Tools for Conducting Agile Software Engineering Research in an Industrial-Academic Setting: A Preliminary Study

TL;DR

This paper presents a systematic protocol and tools designed to assist academic researchers in conducting empirical software engineering studies within industrial settings, addressing practical challenges and promoting generalizable results.

Contribution

It introduces a structured protocol and practical tools tailored for empirical research in industrial software engineering environments, enhancing research quality and applicability.

Findings

Developed a practical research protocol for industry-academic studies

Provided tools to facilitate empirical research in complex industrial settings

Aimed to improve generalizability and rigor of software engineering research

Abstract

Conducting empirical research in software engineering industry is a process, and as such, it should be generalizable. The aim of this paper is to discuss how academic researchers may address some of the challenges they encounter during conducting empirical research in the software industry by means of a systematic and structured approach. The protocol developed in this paper should serve as a practical guide for researchers and help them with conducting empirical research in this complex environment.