Model-driven development platforms shift the focus of software development activity from coding to modeling for enterprises. A significant number of such platforms are available in the market. Selecting the best fitting platform is challenging, as domain experts are not typically model-driven deployment platform experts and have limited time for acquiring the needed knowledge. We model the problem as a multi-criteria decision-making problem and capture knowledge systematically about the features and qualities of 30 alternative platforms. Through four industry case studies, we confirm that the model supports decision-makers with the selection problem by reducing the time and cost of the decision-making process and by providing a richer list of options than the enterprises considered initially. We show that having decision knowledge readily available supports decision-makers in making more rational, efficient, and effective decisions. The study’s theoretical contribution is the observation that the decision framework provides a reliable approach for creating decision models in software production.

No abstract

An investigation waa made of the error-choice principle aa a possible alternative to the usual form of direct questioning used in personality questionnaires. A standard personality questionnaire consisting of 91 items of the 'y-?-no' type was administered to a sample of 160 subjects (normals, neurotics and psychosomatic patients). The questionnaire, which comprised scales for neuroticism, extraversion, test-taking attitudes, masculinity and social desirability, was administered along with an error-choice version of the same items. The latter consisted of items followed by two alternative percentages ('representing' the p-values in the general population) each of which waa equally wrong, but in opposite directions from the correct p-value. The subject had to circle the percentage that he believed to be correct. The error-choice inventory waa presented to the subjects under the disguise of being a test of subject's ability to be insightful of people. Of all 91 items, 90 showed positive correlation between endorsement in the self-report format and over-estimation in the error-choice version. These correlations were significant at the 6 per cent level in 73 of the 90 items. A further analysis of items belonging to the distinct scales and of the various response categories waa carried out and the operation of some response sets waa investigated.Among the numerous objections that have been raised to the self-report questionnaire method as a means of personality measurement (