Talk by Ivar Jacobson

The Software Enigneering Section and the Competences Center in Model-based Software Engineering are happy to announce a talk by Ivar Jacobson, who is one of the fathers of the UML and the Rational Unified Process.

Note: The slides of Ivar Jacobson's talk are available now (click here) and there are also some pictures from the event available (click here). 

On

June , 15th 2012, 15.00 at the DTU campus in the main building 101, room S09

Ivar Jacobson,

Ivar Jacobson International

will speak about

What we should teach you about software engineering at school – The Essence

Abstract

Software engineering is gravely hampered by immature practices. Specific problems include: The prevalence of fads more typical of the fashion industry than an engineering discipline; a huge number of methods and method variants, with differences little understood and artificially magnified; the lack of credible experimental evaluation and validation; and the split between industry practice and academic research.

 

At the root of the problems we lack a sound, widely accepted theoretical basis.  A prime example of such a basis is Maxwell’s equations in electrical engineering. It is difficult to fathom what electrical engineering would be today without those four concise equations. They are a great example to the statement “There is nothing so practical as a good theory”.  In software engineering we have nothing similar, and there is widespread doubt whether it is needed. This talk will argue for the need of a basic theory in software engineering, a theory identifying its pure essence, its common ground or its kernel.

 

The Semat (Software Engineering Methods and Theory) community addresses this huge challenge.  It supports a process to refound software engineering based on a kernel of widely-agreed elements, extensible for specific uses, addressing both technology and people issues. This kernel represents the essence of software engineering.

 

This talk will introduce Semat, its initiative, its vision, target groups and value proposition.

After the talk, there will be the chance for asking questions and for some discussions. The talk including the discussions is scheduled for 90 minutes.

About Ivar Jacobson

Dr. Ivar Jacobson is a father of components and component architecture, use cases, the Unified Modelling Language and the Rational Unified Process.  He has contributed to modern business modelling and aspect-oriented software development.

However, all this is history. Lately he has been working on how to deal with methods and tools in a smart, superlight and agile way.  He has developed a practice concept that is now being adopted by both developers and tool vendors. Now he is one of the leaders of a worldwide network Semat, which has agreed to revolutionize software development.

Dr. Jacobson is an international honorary advisor at Peking University, Beijing, and he holds an honorary doctor at San Martin de Porres University, Peru.

He is the principal author of six influential and best-selling books.

Ivar Jacobson is the chairman of Ivar Jacobson International which has subsidiaries in the US, UK, China, Singapore, Sweden and Canada.