Combining SDL Patterns with Continuous Quality Improvement: An Experience Factory Tailored to SDL Patterns

An SDL pattern is a reusable software artifact representing a generic solution for a recurring design problem. It is required that SDL be the applied design language. However, just offering an SDL pattern pool to the system designer will not result in the expected benefits of software reuse, such as shorter development cycles, improved quality, or easier maintenance of the resulting products. Advanced SDL methodologies are also needed, which are tailored to support the reuse of SDL artifacts. To guide the application of SDL patterns during system design, an incremental configuration process is defined. However, software reuse can be characterized as a particularly dynamic concept with steady improvements of artifacts and processes as experience grows. We therefore further develop the SDL pattern approach into an SDL Experience Factory that supports evaluation and continuous improvement, while the approach is applied in projects. As its main component, the SDL Experience Factory contains a central repository for different kinds of expert knowledge.