Renaat Verbruggen

As the field of software engineering has matured a number of important trends have emerged. Our research has focused on three of the areas which to us, show most promise. Firstly we have been involved with the object-oriented construction of systems since 1986. Secondly we have examined the links between formal and informal methods in their approaches to software design. Finally we have examined the higher level process management issues especially as they relate to metrication, measurement and test.

Current research is focussed on testing and metrics approaches within the world of patterns and objects.

Because my lecturing and research area lie within Software Engineering it has been imperative that I stay in touch with companies who are working with significant amounts of software development.

I have been engaged in numerous "Action-Research" projects. These involve companies with real problems who seek to benefit from engaging in broader research on the topic rather than a "quick-fix". Normally they end in tangible results for the companies and often members of the companies have been active with me in the research.

Sample projects for which reports and results are available include:

• Establishing a software metrics process in the Irish subsidiary of a US multinational (Microsoft)
• Establishing an object-oriented functional testing approach (European projects involving companies such as Verilog, GMD, etc.)

All of the above have been of more than a year in duration and some have occurred in parallel.

As another facet I have managed shorter projects with researchers working within their own companies on problems such as:

• The use of OOP development in a telecommunications environment (Ericsson)
• Re-designing procedural based code by re-specifying the system using an object-oriented method (CARA)
• An Evolutionary approach to the improvement of the software process (Digital Galway)
• Developing an approach to the analysis and design of knowledge based systems.(Bayer)
• Developing a configuration management approach based on change requests. (EICON)
• Development of a framework for the use of components within real-time systems
• Development of a new strategic software architecture for internet supplied services.
• Development of an integrated testing strategy for large-scale bought-in components within a secure
  environment
• Development of a use-case based process for fast prototyping.

Currently a project is ongoing to examine approaches for integrating legacy systems within the financial services sector(Orbism).