Creating your Reuse Method from Reusable Practices and a Method Kernel

The SEMAT community (Software Engineering Method And Theory) has identified a common ground for software engineering. This common ground called Essence is manifested as a kernel of essential elements that are universal to all software-development efforts, and a simple language for describing methods and practices on top of the kernel. The kernel is thus a reusable methodology base. Practices described on top of the kernel are also reusable when building methods, and are guaranteed to incorporate key elements of proven methods. A library of practices is being designed. Methods are then built by composing a subset of the practices, similar to how you compose aspects into programs. Since practices are well founded, the resulting method is more flexible and adaptable, and thus easier to customize in a reliable way.

Essence differs from the many previous attempts at creating process frameworks by addressing the developers primarily instead of the process engineers. It relies heavily on two principles: agile in working with methods and separation of concerns. Thus the 100,000s of methods in the world can all be described by compositions of reusable practices, of which there are just a few hundreds. Focusing on method usage in real endeavors instead of method description as all previous attempts have done, it allows a developer to measure progress and health of key elements. With Essence as a basis, we can add layers of practices on top of it, and create advanced reuse methods such as methods for system of systems, enterprise systems, product lines, service-oriented architecture, domain engineering or component assembly - like those integrated in our UML-based systematic reuse approach, described in the Jacobson, Griss & Jonsson book.

Dr. Ivar Jacobson is a father of components and component architecture, use cases, the Unified Modeling Language and the Rational Unified Process.  He has contributed to modern business modeling, systematic software reuse and aspect-oriented software development. Lately, Jacobson has been working on how to deal with methods and tools in an agile and lean way.  He is one of the leaders of a worldwide network developing a well-founded basis for Software Engineering Method and Theory (SEMAT). Dr. Jacobson is an international honorary advisor at Peking University, Beijing, and he has an honorary doctorate from San Martin de Porres University, Peru.  He is the principal author of seven influential and best-selling books.  Jacobson has held leadership positions at Ericsson, Objectory, Rational, IBM and is now founder and chairman of the worldwide Ivar Jacobson International.