Process Modelling - Where Next

Abstract

After limited interest prior to the 1980s, the software process attracted the attention of a small group of researchers and practitioners as evidenced by a series of International Process Workshops commencing with the first in 1984. General interest had, however, to wait until Osterweil's now classic paper being honoured today and the present author's response were delivered at ICSE 87. This brief paper seeks to move forward from the positions presented then to introduce three process related issues, software process improvement, feedback in the software process and business process improvement. The first is, currently the principal focus of the software process community. The second, it is believed, should be. The third is equally relevant. Individually and collectively these issues appear, to this author at least, to make the majority view of the current focus of process modelling in general and process programming in particular largely irrelevant.