An experiment in using control techniques in software engineering

This paper presents a description of an experiment. in which control techniques, like adaptation and restructuring, were applied to the domain of software engineering. Changes in software requirements were treated as disturbances. A program (RAACR) that can adapt to changes in software requirements through the incorporation of feedback was developed and tested. The program consists of a domain-specific part and a generic part. It is a hierarchy of domains (blackboards) including multiple knowledge sources (KSs) and a domain scheduler. In response to feedback, knowledge sources change their processing parameters, while domain schedulers change the scheduling policy of the knowledge sources. A generic communication mechanism is implemented on a CORBA compliant system. The adaptability of the program was evaluated quantitatively using a requirements volatility measure and the probability of correct recognition.