Case Study Research in Software Engineering Guidelines and Examples [Hardcover]

Based on their own experiences of in-depth case studies of software projects in international corporations, in this book the authors present detailed practical guidelines on the preparation, conduct, design and reporting of case studies of software engineering.  This is the first software engineering specific book on the case study research method.FOREWORD xiii

PREFACE xv

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xvii

PART I CASE STUDY METHODOLOGY

1 INTRODUCTION 3

1.1 What is a Case Study? 3

1.2 A Brief History of Case Studies in Software Engineering 5

1.3 Why a Book on Case Studies of Software Engineering? 6

1.4 Conclusion 9

2 BACKGROUND AND DEFINITION OF CONCEPTS 11

2.1 Introduction 11

2.2 Research Strategies 11

2.3 Characteristics of Research Strategies 13

2.3.1 Purpose 13

2.3.2 Control and Data 14

2.3.3 Triangulation 15

2.3.4 Replication 16

2.3.5 Inductive and Deductive Enquiries 16

2.4 What Makes a Good Case Study? 17

2.5 When is the Case Study Strategy Feasible? 19

2.6 Case Study Research Process 20

2.7 Conclusion 21

3 DESIGN OF THE CASE STUDY 23

3.1 Introduction 23

3.2 Elements of the Case Study Design 24

3.2.1 Rationale for the Study 24

3.2.2 Objective of the Study 24

3.2.3 Cases and Units of Analyses 26

3.2.4 Theoretical Framework 29

3.2.5 Research Questions 30

3.2.6 Propositl³n