Computer Engineering / Bilgisayar Mühendisliği

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11147/10

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  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 58
    Citation - Scopus: 72
    A Reference Model for Bim Capability Assessments
    (Elsevier Ltd., 2019) Yılmaz, Gökçen; Akçamete, Aslı; Demirörs, Onur
    Various BIM capability and maturity models have been developed to assist architecture, engineering, construction and facilities management (AEC/FM) organizations in measuring the performance of their BIM utilizations. Due to differences in applicability and focus of these models, they are able to meet the demands of different BIM users. In this study, eight BIM capability and maturity models identified in the literature are compared based on several different criteria. The results show that there is no holistic model that includes process definitions that cover the facility life-cycle and contains measures for assessing all of these AEC/FM processes. A reference model for assessing BIM capability of AEC/FM processes was developed. It was grounded on the meta-model of ISO/IEC 330xx family of standards and developed iteratively via expert reviews and an exploratory case study. It includes AEC/FM processes which were evaluated using the BIM capability levels, their associated BIM attributes, and a four-point rating scale. BIM-CAREM was evaluated by conducting four explanatory case studies. The results showed that BIM-CAREM was capable of identifying BIM capabilities of different AEC/FM processes.
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 67
    Citation - Scopus: 91
    A Survey on Modeling and Model-Driven Engineering Practices in the Embedded Software Industry
    (Elsevier Ltd., 2018) Akdur, Deniz; Garousi, Vahid; Demirörs, Onur
    Software-intensive embedded systems have become an essential aspect of our lives. To cope with its growing complexity, modeling and model-driven engineering (MDE) are widely used for analysis, design, implementation, and testing of these systems. Since a large variety of software modeling practices is used in the domain of embedded software, it is important to understand and characterize the-state-of-the-practices and also the benefits, challenges and consequences of using software modeling approaches in this domain. The goal of this study is to investigate those practices in the embedded software engineering projects by identifying to what degree, why and how software modeling and MDE are used. To achieve this objective, we designed and conducted an online survey. Opinions of 627 practicing embedded software engineers from 27 different countries are included in the survey. The survey results reveal important and interesting findings about the state of software modeling and MDE practices in the worldwide embedded software industry. Among the results: (1) Different modeling approaches (from informal sketches to formalized models) are widely used in the embedded software industry with different needs and all of the usages could be effective depending on the various modeling characteristics; (2) The majority of participants use UML; and the second most frequently selected response is “Sketch/No formal modeling language” which shows the wide-spread informal usage of modeling; (3) In model-driven approaches, it is not so important to have a graphical syntax to represent the model (as in UML) and depending on the type of target embedded industrial sector, modeling stakeholders prefer models, which can be represented in a format that is readable by a machine (as in DSL); (4) Sequence diagrams and state-machines are the two most popular diagram types; (5) Top motivations for adopting MDE are: cost savings, achieving shorter development time, reusability and quality improvement. The survey results will shed light on the state of software modeling and MDE practices and provide practical benefits to embedded software professionals
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 16
    Citation - Scopus: 26
    Application of a Software Agility Assessment Model – Agilitymod in the Field
    (Elsevier Ltd., 2019) Özcan Top, Özden; Demirörs, Onur
    Adoption of agile values and principles and transformation of organizations towards agility are not easy and straightforward. Misinterpretation of agile principles and values, and adoption of partial solutions with few agile practices instead of holistic approaches prevent organizations to obtain full benefits of agile methods. We developed the Software Agility Assessment Reference Model (AgilityMod) for the appraisal of software projects from agility perspective and to provide guidance on specifying gaps on the road towards agility (agile maturity). The meta-model of AgilityMod was defined in relation with the ISO/IEC 15504-Process Assessment Model. AgilityMod was developed in an iterative and incremental manner by running successive case studies and getting opinions of experts for the evaluation and improvement of the Model. The multiple case study that we present here in detail included the implementation of the Model in eight software development companies. The results of this case study were evaluated by the case study participants. According to the significant majority of the case study participants, AgilityMod achieves its purpose.
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 33
    Citation - Scopus: 46
    A Semi-Automated Approach for Generating Natural Language Requirements Documents Based on Business Process Models
    (Elsevier Ltd., 2018) Aysolmaz, Banu; Leopold, Henrik; Reijers, Hajo A.; Demirörs, Onur
    Context: The analysis of requirements for business-related software systems is often supported by using business process models. However, the final requirements are typically still specified in natural language. This means that the knowledge captured in process models must be consistently transferred to the specified requirements. Possible inconsistencies between process models and requirements represent a serious threat for the successful development of the software system and may require the repetition of process analysis activities. Objective: The objective of this paper is to address the problem of inconsistency between process models and natural language requirements in the context of software development. Method: We define a semi-automated approach that consists of a process model-based procedure for capturing execution-related data in requirements models and an algorithm that takes these models as input for generating natural language requirements. We evaluated our approach in the context of a multiple case study with three organizations and a total of 13 software development projects. Results: We found that our approach can successfully generate well-readable requirements, which do not only positively contribute to consistency, but also to the completeness and maintainability of requirements. The practical use of our approach to identify a suitable subcontractor on the market in 11 of the 13 projects further highlights the practical value of our approach. Conclusion: Our approach provides a structured way to obtain high-quality requirements documents from process models and to maintain textual and visual representations of requirements in a consistent way.
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 66
    Citation - Scopus: 85
    Factors Influencing the Understandability of Process Models: a Systematic Literature Review
    (Elsevier Ltd., 2018) Dikici, Ahmet; Türetken, Oktay; Demirörs, Onur
    Context Process models are key in facilitating communication in organizations and in designing process-aware information systems. Organizations are facing increasingly larger and more complex processes, which pose difficulties to the understandability of process models. The literature reports several factors that are considered to influence the understandability of process models. However, these studies typically focus on testing of a limited set of factors. A work that collects, abstracts and synthesizes an in-depth summary of the current literature will help in developing the research in this field. Objective We conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) focusing on the empirical studies in the existing literature in order to better understand the state of the research on process model understandability, and identify the gaps and opportunities for future research. Method We searched the studies between the years 1995 and 2015 in established electronic libraries. Out of 1066 publications retrieved initially, we selected 45 publications for thorough analysis. We identified, analyzed and categorized factors that are considered to influence the understandability of process models as studied in the literature using empirical methods. We also analyzed the indicators that are used to quantify process model understandability. Results Our analysis identifies several gaps in the field, as well as issues of inconsistent findings regarding the effect of some factors, unbalanced emphasis on certain indicators, and methodological concerns. Conclusions The existing research calls for comprehensive empirical studies to contribute to a better understanding of the factors of process model understandability. Our study is a comprehensive source for researchers working on the understandability of process models and related fields, and a useful guide for practitioners aiming to generate understandable process models.