CHALLENGES IN SOFTWARE DESIGN IN LARGE CORPORATIONS - A Case Study at Siemens AG

Abstract

Successful software development is still a challenge and improvements in software processes and their application is an active research domain. Siemens has started research projects aiming to improve software process related activities. The adaptation of generic software process models to project specific context and the application of instantiated processes play a major role in these efforts. Several solutions have been put forward in literature in recent years to better standardise and automate these procedures. However, no approach has become a de facto standard. Instantiation and application of processes in practice are still often done manually and not standardised. On the basis of an analysis of Siemens' current practice, a New Software Engineering Framework (NSEF) is suggested for improving the instantiation and the application of software processes within the company. In particular, the paper suggests the development of a gradual instantiation approach.