Abstract:

Model-driven software development (MDSD) is steadily gaining popularity, and new and more advanced tools are being developed. However, the paradigm shift that has been expected has not yet come, despite reliable reports on both quality and productivity improvements using model-driven approaches. This paper investigates which factors are important for developers to use MDSD in their work. In January 2007, a total of 16 developers from one university, two SMEs, one research organization and one large multinational company were introduced to a MDSD toolchain for software service development. After using the toolchain for one year in development of middleware services and end-user applications, the developers evaluated the toolchain and their use of MDSD in general. The evaluation was done using proven research methodologies that were adapted to be able to evaluate MDSD. All 16 developers from the four European countries participated. The findings suggest that perceived usefulness and ease of use are the most important factors for using a MDSD development approach. No significant relationships between tool performances or subjective norms were found. However, the “traceability” feature of the development approach was found useful. The work was carried out as a part of the MPOWER EU-IST project, and the results will be used for improving the project toolchain and the evaluation processes.