Strategies for Improving MDA-Based Development Processes

The Model Driven Architecture (MDA) is meant to facilitate system development by using models for representing both the “problem” and its “solution”. In its ideal form, software development based on MDA would follow a development process that begins by producing models of the problem domain at a high level of abstraction, and then proceeds by gradually and automatically transforming them into executable code with the help of tools. However, MDA-based development has encountered several setbacks, the mitigation of which requires detailed scrutiny and analysis. In this research, MDA-based development is analyzed through applying SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis in order to identify the problems afflicting MDA. The analysis also offers strategies for addressing these problems by utilizing MDA’s own strengths, and also by using the potential solutions offered by other approaches and technologies. This knowledge will allow developers and method engineers to address the shortcomings of MDA-based development tools and techniques.