Methods Integration: Time for Reflection (and Reorientation?)

Taking the presentations given at this workshop as a snapshot of current work on “Methods Integration” (MI), we consider current and future aspirations for the topic within the overall context of software production. There are significant differences in what has been attempted. The intellectual gulf between the types of methods which workers seek to bridge is huge. And the rationale for seeking to link them also varies widely; some try to hide any semblance of formalism, others seek to make formal methods more accessible. Whilst making undoubted progress in numerous local situations, we are, at the same time, fostering diversification. Unfortunately the substantial effort invested tends to reinforce the ‘not invented here’ syndrome which bodes ill for those who search for a single universal method. Once we have achieved sufficient understanding of the problems and processes involved, all should become clearer and the methods easier to use. As a small contribution in the search for simplicity we attempt rationalisation of certain key terms/procedures, and suggest how MI might be embedded within the software construction process.