1. RISE: center for Research-based Innovation in Software Engineering
Presentation for IME Faculty, NTNU, 30 Oct. 2009
Tore Dybå, SINTEF ICT (coord.)
Dag I. K. Sjøberg, IfI, UiO
Reidar Conradi, IDI, NTNU

2. RISE Vision Internationally recognized centre of excellence
Research-based Innovation in Software Engineering
Readily available and credible software innovations
Benefit to Norwegian industry and services, academia and society at large 2

3. RISE Motivation
ICT and especially software: a basic infrastructure that penetrates most activities in a modern society.
Ex. Mobile phones and cars contain tens of Mlines of “invisible” software, that must function and be evolved for decades.
ICT sector: hardly noticible, but our next biggest industry after petroleum, 214 bill. NOK in revenues and employees [SSB 2007] software developers outside ICT [Haug 2008].
ICT sector: stands for 40% of industrial R&D.
ICT sector and software engineering (SE) technology: strategic for the rest of Norway!
NFR: zero increase in R&D for ICT since 2000.
PITAC report in USA from 1997, emphasizing empirical work
EU’s Framework Programs 3

4. Too much inferior software
Software quality (ISO 9126): mix of reliability, security, safety, performance, QoS, usability, maintainability, …+ predictable schedule & budget.
Software quality is not an “add-on” feature!
More empirical SE research needed, poor tradition in published papers - but difficult.
Software risks:
Triple mobile network collapse in Norway, Aug
Doubly-executed transactions for customers in Sparebank 1 Midt-Norge, 20 Oct
Software failure delayed Adressa’s printing, 1 Dec
Computer problems caused chaos in luggage handling at Gardermoen airport, 10 July 2006.
Computer system and telephony outage at St Olavs hospital, Trondheim, June 2006. … 4

5. RISE main goal and six subgoals, G1-G2
Main goal: To support more predictable, efficient and quality-assured software development in industry, commerce and services.
G1. Building empirically-based SE theories.
G2. Developing a toolbox of innovative planning, development, and maintenance technologies, especially for agile and component-based/open source development processes.
G3. Disseminating SE knowledge and technology.
G4. Educating top practitioners and researchers.
G5. Collaborating actively with the international SE research community.
G6. Publishing in top journals and conferences. 5

6. Research model 6

7. RISE value chain with five levels
Two kinds of SE methods to be used/improved in RISE:
Empirical research methods for SE.
Three classes of SE development methods:
Agile
Component-based/open source
Software maintenance and evolution
Three indirect improvement targets:
“Better” software from e.g. a software house, using an improved agile method and empirically studied in RISE
“Better” services or products thus offered by e.g. a bank
“Better” work processes for end-users, e.g. a loan taker 7

8. RISE method usage/improvements
1) Empirical research (meta-)methods:
Adapting action research, case studies, data mining, large scale experiments, …
Evidence-based SE to learn from practice and build improved SE theories and methods (a-c below)
2) Three SE development methods to be improved:
Agile development: SCRUM and reuse/evolution
Component-based/open source development: “tsunami” effect of ½ million available components, semantic searches, community processes
Software maintenance and evolution: longitudinal studies, knowledge management and learning 8

9. RISE: Nat’l R&D partners (1)
Three research partners in a virtual center:
SINTEF ICT, Trondheim (dr. Dybå, coord.)
NTNU/IDI (prof. Conradi)
UiO/IfI (prof. Sjøberg)
Potential user partners: IKT Norge, Friprogsenteret, Kommunenes sentralforbund, Helseforetak.
Software-intensive companies with much previous mutual R&D cooperation: e.g., from ongoing BIPs such as EVISOFT, Agile, and TeamIT; ABB, Acando, Bekk, Comptel, ConfirmIT, DNV Software, EDB BP, Geomatikk, Kantega, KnowIT, Kongsberg Spacetec, Opera, Skattedirektoratet, Telenor and Vital.. 9

10. RISE: Nat’l R&D partners (2)
The three research partners have worked together in joint R&D projects for 13, 15, and 23 years
Good personal chemistry (Dybå was Conradi’s PhD student )
Demonstrated capability to jointly produce peer-reviewed and innovative research
Experienced in technology transfer towards Norwegian industry and services at large
Thus, the proposed RISE project entails hot technology for large parts of Norwegian software-intensive industry, staffed with very capable and pragmatic researchers 10

11. RISE: Int’l R&D partners
All three research partners are members of the International Software Engineering Research Network (ISERN), the leading empirical research community within SE and with ca. 60 members.
SINTEF also member of the leading industrial process improvement network, International Software Consulting Network (ISCN).
The industrial and academic members of these networks will be our prime international partners, e.g. INRIA, VTT, Fraunhofer ESE, LERO, … Univ. Maryland, Univ. Keele, Univ. Blekinge, P. di Milano, Free Univ. Amsterdam, Univ. Bahia etc. 11

12. Resources and some deliverables
8 years, 8*10 MNOK from NFR. Assuming 1 additional MNOK/year from each of the RISE partners’ home environments.
One full-time coordinator throughout
2 project-paid researchers at any time
14 postdocs (3.5 at any time, 2 years each)
3-4 visiting scholars at any time
20 PhD candidates (6 at any time, 3-4 years each)
Over 120 master candidates (15/year)
Direct costs: travels, equipment, meetings, … (1 MNOK/year)
50 top papers
5 edited/written books
Web site with general and thematic info, all published papers, empirical artifacts and tools, and similar.
…must calibrate all above! 12

13. Publications 2000-09 (from DBLP)
Name
Total # papers
(not adjsted for multiple authorships)
# papers last 10 years (whereof in journal, as book chapter, or as edited work)
Tore Dybå, SINTEF-ICT
Dag Sjøberg, UiO
Reidar Conradi
Torgeir Dingsøyr, SINTEF ICT/IDI 33 49
118 41
33 (14)
40 (28)
65 (18)
40 (13)
Tor Stålhane
Torbjørn Skramstad
Guttorm Sindre
Rolv Bræk 34
??1 42 22
28 (01)
1 (---)
21 (05)
19 (01)
John Krogstie 46
Check!! (19)
Letizia Jaccheri - apropos 29
15 (03)
Eric Monteiro apropos 18
18 (16)
Comment: is DBLP representative, accurate and complete? 13