Case-Based Reasoning for Reuse and Validation of System Development Processes

In large companies it is often the practice to use standardised template development processes, which are locally adapted to different projects. Such best practice template processes enable the company to set quality standards for internal projects, control the project, and measure progress. Adaptation of templates must address aspects such as: project resources (time/staff), external circumstances (e.g. distribution of project staff at different locations), while taking into account local experience, standards and regulations. Adapting templates is a particularly manual process requiring skill, often unsupported by tools, and for large companies starting hundreds of new projects every year, this activity is responsible for a large proportion of the development costs (including costs caused by mistakes made during local adaptations). Integrating locally gained experiences and updating the template process is tedious work for experienced staff. Resources for such updates are rarely available and this results in out-of-date documentation and templates and loss of valuable experience. Fortunately, formal representation of processes and tasks enables reuse, analysis and comparison of processes and parts of processes. We use a case-based reasoning approach, which permits the identification, reuse and comparison of processes and tasks. The system is able to identify, and suggest the reuse of similar processes and tasks stored in the case library. Once a new system development process has been created, it is automatically added to the case library for future reuse. A track record of how successful a development process is will aid future projects, and if similarities are found with a less successful process this may suggest that modifications are need before it can be used.