Chapter 5: Empirical Modelling for collaborative modelling

In the last chapter, I have discussed the philosophical foundation of Empirical Modelling (EM) and differences to other approaches to software systems development. So far, there has been little discussion on what kind of collaborative context may be benefited by adopting an EM approach and how EM principles such as the ODA framework can be exploited in collaborative work such as groupware development. Therefore, this chapter aims to explore the potential benefits that EM may offer to collaborative model construction in general and the ideal level of tool support that is essential to unlock the potential benefit that EM may offer to collaborative modelling. The idea of applying EM principles to collaborative modelling as a framework for groupware development will not be discussed in this chapter, but in chapter 7 of this thesis.