SPP 1593:  Design for Future - Managed Software Evolution

This Priority Programme has been established to develop fundamentally new approaches in software engineering with a determined focus on long-living software systems. Existing research in software engineering does not solve the severe current problems with legacy software, the adaption of software to new platforms and the continuous evolution of software systems with respect to continuously changing requirements, new emerging technologies, and integration of new software, hardware and system components. Hence, new foundations, methods and tools are needed to be able to develop "forever young software", which maintains its initial functionality and quality and is even continuously improved during the whole lifetime. We intend to develop a methodology for the continuous evolution of software and software/hardware systems, thus making systems adaptable to changing requirements and environments. In the discipline of software engineering, several fields are especially suited to contribute to this goal. Without claiming completeness, existing approaches for requirements engineering, architecture design and management, model-based and model-driven software engineering, quality management, artefact management and evolution, and reengineering already have a strong impact on managing software evolution. However, these approaches need to be further developed and integrated with a special focus on long-living software systems. A new paradigm will be established where development, adaptation and evolution of software and their platforms, on the one hand, as well as operation, monitoring and maintenance, on the other hand, are no longer separated but integrated. One aim is to define meta-models for preserving and accessing the knowledge provided and gained during the system development process. Furthermore, methods and process models, as well as suitable infrastructures, have to be provided to comprehensively support the integration of software development and evolution. In this Priority Programme we do not intend to explore approaches isolated from application. We focus here on two application domains: information systems and production systems in automation engineering.

DFG Programme Priority Programmes

• Beyond One-Shot Security: Requirements-driven Run-time Security Adaptation to Reduce Code Patching (SecVolution@Run-time) (Applicants Jürjens, Jan ;  Schneider, Kurt )
• Concepts, methods and tools for architecture - and quality-centric evolution of long-living software systems (Applicants Goedicke, Michael ;  Reussner, Ralf Heinrich )
• Continuous Usage- and Rationale-based Evolution Decision Support (CURES) (Applicants Brügge, Bernd ;  Paech, Barbara )
• DECLARE - Declarative Performance Engineering (Applicants van Hoorn, André ;  Kounev, Samuel )
• Domain-spanning Maintainability Estimation of Information and Manufacturing Automation Systems (Applicants Reussner, Ralf Heinrich ;  Vogel-Heuser, Birgit )
• ENSURE II - ENsurance of Software evolUtion by Run-time cErtification (Applicants Grunske, Lars ;  Tichy, Matthias )
• Integrated Model-based Testing of Continously Evolving Software Product Lines (IMoTEP) (Applicants Goltz, Ursula ;  Schürr, Andreas )
• Integrated Model-based Testing of Continuously Evolving Software Product Lines (IMoTEP 2) (Applicants Lochau, Malte ;  Schaefer, Ina )
• Integrated Observation and Modeling Techniques to Support Adaptation and Evolution of Software Systems (Applicants Hasselbring, Wilhelm ;  Pohl, Klaus ;  Reussner, Ralf Heinrich )
• Linked Forever Young Production Automation with Active Components (LinkedFYPA²C) (Applicants Fay, Alexander ;  Lamersdorf, Winfried )
• Model-Driven Evolution Management for Microscopic Changes in Automation Systems (MoDEMMiCAS) (Applicants Broy, Manfred ;  Vogel-Heuser, Birgit )
• Regression Verification in a User-Centered Software Development Process for Evolving Automated Production Systems (Applicants Beckert, Bernhard ;  Ulbrich, Mattias ;  Vogel-Heuser, Birgit )
• Scalable design and performance analysis for long-living software families (DAPS2) (Applicant Schaefer, Ina )
• Scientific Coordination of SPP 1593 (Applicants Goltz, Ursula ;  Reussner, Ralf Heinrich )
• Scientific Coordination of SPP 1593 (Applicant Reussner, Ralf Heinrich )
• Serviceproject (Applicant Reussner, Ralf Heinrich )
• Specifying and Recognizing Model Changes in Networks of Models (Applicants Kelter, Udo ;  Taentzer, Gabriele )
• Support for correct evolution of software product lines (Applicants Koschke, Rainer ;  Schmid, Klaus )
• Techniques and Prediction Models for Sustainable Product-Line Engineering (Applicant Apel, Sven )
• Usage- and Rationale-based Evolution Desicison Support (Applicants Brügge, Bernd ;  Paech, Barbara )

Spokesperson Professor Dr. Ralf Heinrich Reussner