A Web-based modeling tool for the SEMAT Essence theory of Software Engineering
This addresses the problem of limited practical application of software engineering theories for researchers and practitioners, though it is incremental as it focuses on tool implementation rather than theoretical advancement.
The paper tackles the lack of adoption of the SEMAT Essence theory in software engineering by developing SematAcc, a web-based tool that implements the theory, enabling its use for teaching, adoption, and research.
As opposed to more mature subjects, software engineering lacks general theories to establish its foundations as a discipline. The Essence Theory of software engineering (Essence) has been proposed by the Software Engineering Methods and Theory (SEMAT) initiative. Essence goal is to develop a theoretically sound basis for software engineering practice and its wide adoption. Essence is yet far from reaching academic and industry adoption. Reasons include a struggle to foresee its utilization potential and the lack of tools implementing it. SEMAT Accelerator (SematAcc) is a Web-positioning tool for a software engineering endeavor, which implements the SEMAT's Essence kernel. SematAcc allows using Essence, thus helping to understand it. The tool enables teaching, adopting, and researching Essence in controlled experiments and case studies.