Database Reference
In-Depth Information
for this bias is the use, by the methods and techniques, of conceptual models. Because of their
particular representation capabilities, conceptual models limit the problem domain aspects
that a method and technique is capable of considering. The result is method and technique
specifi city for given problem types, particularly for the ones that have characteristics that can
be adequately represented in the conceptual models proper to each method and technique.
As it is the conceptual models that produce method and technique specifi city, it is suffi cient
to determine the fi tness of one or several conceptual models of a problem to determine the
fi tness of the methods and techniques.
The method proposed (POAM) can calculate the fi tness of the conceptual models
for particular problems. For this purpose, it uses a set of representation formalisms, called
together generic conceptual model, which can represent the problem domain information
without a previous categorization of the information on the basis of the standard concepts
of conceptual models, like classes, objects, relationships process or states.
The generic conceptual model can, therefore, record the same information as a vari-
ety of conceptual models. This means that, instead of comparing conceptual models and
problems to get a measure of fi tness, it is possible to compare conceptual models with a
representation of the problem recorded in the generic conceptual model. This comparison
is made using a series of procedures that yield:
•
A measure, termed fi tness, which determines how suited each conceptual model is to
the problem under analysis.
•
If appropriate, the conceptual models required to pursue the remainder of the software
development process.
The proposed method suggests a line of research that could lead to promising results.
Specifi cally, a fi tness measure of the conceptual models can improve method and technique
adaptation procedures. Also, as POAM is capable of deriving the conceptual models used
by the methods and techniques, the proposed method can be used as a prior step in the ap-
plication of methods and techniques in software development projects.
REFERENCES
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Annals of Software Engineering, 3
, 63-100.
Dieste, O. (2003).
POAM: Un método de análisis orientado a la necesidad
. Unpublished
POAM: Un método de análisis orientado a la necesidad
doctoral dissertation. Departamento de Informática, Universidad de Castilla-La
Mancha.
