Why the need for a new SEM?
SEM was introduced in 1983 and its basic principles have
been maintained ever since. PSE can be justifiably proud
of the long history behind its development method. Since
it was first introduced, however, software development
has changed completely. Most people in those days were
using mainframes and a few had moved to modern
workstations. Virtually no-one was using a PC.The
time had therefore come for a serious revision:
It was decided to incorporate new developments alongside
the many successful elements which had stood the test of
time. A number of important themes are set out below:
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You may have asked yourself "What about prototyping?".
Today modern graphical development environments
are making increasing use of prototyping. What
method can be used so that the resultant code can
be maintained and the product can be further
developed? - stdSEM now supports a separate
Prototyping "phase". |
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A further new theme: Adaptation
instead of development. More than
ever before, software is being adapted rather
than being developed from scratch. Existing
(possibly only half-finished) solutions are being
adapted, parameterized or augmented for new
purposes and operating environments. This can
lead to faster and cheaper products. |
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A third aspect is the usability
of SEM: Many staff wanted more tools and
checklists for daily practice and also wanted
these to be more specific. As a result, all word
templates were revised in terms of content and
were redesigned into annotated tables
of contents. There are now also far
more checklists and tips
for activities. In addition, stdSEM is now
available in hypertext form on
the Siemens intranet.
This has many advantages, e.g. you always have
the latest version online and can also access the
specific information you require. |
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An abstract set of rules is now also
available in the form of a process
model (SEM-VM), with several specific
method descriptions (derived
methods) deriving from this. This ensures a
general set of rules which is compliant with ISO
and helps reduce the gap between the (abstract)
development method and the (specific) projects.
stdSEM is a general method
description for SW development and
maintenance as well as for non-SW projects
(consultancy, services, development of
organizational solutions, etc.). |
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