Information Design Group,

The word paradigm is used, defined and re-defined in many disciplines (including software engineering) to the degree that its meaning has become overloaded and hence vague. In this paper, we look at its various meanings and offer a working definition for use in software engineering. We also offer an explanation of the role of paradigm in software engineering, claiming that the choice of modeling/design paradigm has profound effects on the quality of both the software process and its product. We propose that paradigms be reified into artifacts and consciously used to improve software development, and recommend that more emphasis be put towards understanding their nature in depth