Constructing bespoke software development processes according to the specifications of the project at hand has become a crucial issue, giving rise to a new branch of engineering known as Situational Method Engineering (SME). Compared with Software Engineering, Situational Method Engineering has not suitably matured, in that many of its deficiencies have not been properly addressed yet; SME approaches are especially deficient in support for modeling, portability, and automation.
Model-Driven Development (MDD) has been effectively used for enhancing portability and automation in Software Engineering, and it is also considered as a promising approach for resolving the same issues in SME. According to the approach prescribed by MDD, the target product (be it software or process) is generated through enrichment and transformation of models; models are thus considered as core concepts in the analysis, design, documentation, deployment, and maintenance activities of the MDD approach. In MDD, modeling relies on model transformation methods, and Pattern-Based transformation techniques are among the most prominent methods used for this purpose.
The aim of this project is to propose a framework for situational engineering of software development processes through the use of Pattern-Based techniques for transforming process models; this framework can be used by methodology engineers in all stages of modeling and development of software processes, especially for directing model transformation activities. To this aim, the relevant research previously conducted in this context will be reviewed, and pattern-based model transformation techniques will be studied in detail, with the ultimate aim of determining their potential for use in the context of situational method engineering. A framework will then be proposed which adapts pattern-based model transformation techniques for application to the process models used in SME. The validity of the proposed framework and transformation methods will be assessed based on special evaluation criteria, and also through a case study.