Rationale management in software engineering

Abstract

The emphasis on new and changing technologies and process models in today's software development obscures the fact that software engineering remains primarily a human-based activity with the success of a software project largely depending on decisions made by humans during engineering. Rationale management is concerned with making these design and development decisions explicit to all stakeholders involved. The book begins with a historical survey of different rationale approaches. It is followed by four parts describing the fundamental problems and possible solution approaches in rationale management, rationale management during requirements engineering, rationale management during software architecting, and rationale management for organizing reusable bodies of knowledge. The result is a detailed summary of research on design rationale. It provides researchers with an excellent state-of-the-art overview, and professional software engineers will find many examples, resources and incentives to enhance their ability to make decisions during all phases of the software lifecycle. The chapters in this volume show how design rationale can be incorporat. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2006. All rights are reserved.