Transformation-based creation of custom-tailored software process models

High quality of complex software at rising cost pressure and dramatically shorter innovation cycles can only be obtained with systematic and efficient development processes. Since software development projects are unique regarding their combination of specific goals and characteristics, providing 'ideal' and universal development processes is no solution for real life. Instead, effective and efficient software development processes custom-tailored to a project and based on experience from past projects are required. This is contrary to industrial practice, where reuse-oriented process descriptions and, consequently, the possibility for goal-oriented planning, are normally missing. This article presents a tool-based technique for efficient transformation-based tailoring of formal process models to project constraints. The technique was evaluated in the context of two case studies, where a considerable increase in efficiency could be observed: Even the more unfavorable case resulted in an effort reduction at a factor of 65 as compared to a manual procedure.