An Ontological Analysis of a Proposed Theory for Software Development

TL;DR

This paper presents an ontological analysis of a comprehensive theory for software development aimed at integrating diverse methodologies and enhancing predictability in software projects.

Contribution

It introduces an ontological framework for a proposed overarching software development theory, facilitating better categorization and understanding of software initiatives.

Findings

Ontological analysis clarifies theory constructs

Supports categorization of software development approaches

Potential to improve predictability of outcomes

Abstract

There is growing acknowledgement within the software engineering community that a theory of software development is needed to integrate the myriad methodologies that are currently popular, some of which are based on opposing perspectives. We have been developing such a theory for a number of years. In this paper, we overview our theory and report on a recent ontological analysis of the theory constructs. We suggest that, once fully developed, this theory, or one similar to it, may be applied to support situated software development, by providing an overarching model within which software initiatives might be categorised and understood. Such understanding would inevitably lead to greater predictability with respect to outcomes.