Automating the Process of Software Automation : Perspectives, Issues and Concerns

Speaker: Swapan Bhattacharya

21st October 2005 , 1pm , E4, Basement, Merz Court, School of EECE

Abstract

In spite of the phenomenal advancements in the arena of information and communication technology in recent times, success rates of software products are still quite poor. Many software projects fail to meet budgeted time and cost estimates, and some of them have to be abandoned even before completion. This alarming scenario concerning the process of software production can be attributed to the following factors : (i) inadequate domain knowledge of software developers, (ii) incomplete / imprecise perception of clients / end-users about functional requirements of software products vis-a-vis available technology, (iii) lack of stability of appropriate technology for deployment of reusable components, and (iv) excessive dependence of the process of production on the efficiency and capability of human beings involved in the process. All these issues of critical concern can be addressed through automation of the software production process. Technological tools are already available for automating later stages of production life cycle. Significant improvement in quality and efficiency of the production process can however be achieved only if automation can be deployed at the earlier stages and also for integration of subsequent stages of life cycle. Lack of precise and unambiguous statements on desired system requirements make development of formal models for earlier stages extremely difficult, which is turn makes the process of automation infeasible. A workable solution may be thought of through evolution of feasible and implementable formal models for domain-specific applications. The problems concerning automating the process of software production open up various challenging research issues in different dimensions. This particular session is aimed at deliberations leading to identification of these issues and appropriate methodologies with potential to address them, and also to evolve a platform for integration of various interrelated research perspectives.

Speaker address: Department of Computer Science and Engineering Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India