Mission
Software engineering research in LUT concentrates on software and systems development practices from various viewpoints. Common to all research efforts is the emphasis on empirical data collection and relevance to practice. The mission of the research group can be characterized with three main bullets:
- to produce high-quality research results that are relevant in practice
- to act as a trusted research partner in research and development – both locally and internationally and both for industry and for other research institutions
- to produce software professionals with up-to-date skills and knowledge
Research areas
The core of the research concentrates on the practice of software and systems development. The research group has good experience in using diverse research methods, including qualitative, quantitative, and longitudinal methods. The following areas have been studied this far or have on-going research:
- The role of architecture in systems development (Kari Smolander)
- Requirements engineering methods for small organizations (Uolevi Nikula)
- Information System process innovation adoption, adaptation, learning, and unlearning processes (Erja Mustonen-Ollila)
- Software testing processes and testing organizations in practice (Ossi Taipale, Jussi Kasurinen, Tero Pesonen, Kari Smolander)
- Market-oriented software development, communities in software product development (Sami Jantunen, Erno Vanhala, Heikki Eskelinen, Kari Smolander)
- State-of-the-art in software development in South-Eastern Finland (Katapultti project, Uolevi Nikula, Sami Jantunen)
- The problems of small software organizations (Katapultti project, Kari Smolander)
- Instructional systems development (Satu Alaoutinen)
- Programming education, teaching applications and blended learning (Jussi Kasurinen, Uolevi Nikula)
- Business process modeling and service-oriented computing (Ville Alkkiomäki)
The group has produced the following PhD theses:
- Smolander, K. (2003). On the Role of Architecture in Systems Development
- Nikula, U. (2004). Introducing Basic Systematic Requirements Engineering Practices in Small Organizations with an Easy to Adopt Methodology
- Ovaska, P. (2005). Studies on Coordination of Systems Development Process
- Mustonen-Ollila, E. (2005). Information System Process Innovation Adoption, Adaptation, Learning, and Unlearning: A Longitudinal Case Study
- Taipale, O. (2007). Observations on Software Testing Practice.