The paper presents the results of a survey carried out in the latter half of 1990 to determine the extent to which computer-aided software engineering (CASE) was being used throughout commercial data-processing departments in the United Kingdom at that time. The survey was designed to identify general background information on both the organizations that were using CASE and those that were not using CASE, the manually performed software development methods used within these organizations, the areas of the software development life-cycle that had been identified as causing the greatest problems, the solutions that had been found to address these problems, the areas of the software life-cycle currently automated and those areas suitable for future automation, the problems with current tools, and future directions for CASE. The information obtained from analysis of the survey data is presented. Summary conclusions identify current trends and practices in the use of CASE technology. The actual use of, reactions to, and facilities required in future CASE tools are also identified.
