eISSN: 2791-173X editor@grpublishing.org
All Journals
Submit your article

Global Multidisciplinary Journal

Open Access Peer Review International
Open Access

An Integrative Framework for Behavioral Software Engineering And AI-Augmented Architectural Evolution: Synthesizing Competence Models with Legacy System Refactoring

DOI
PDF
Stewart Whitefield 1 ,
4 Global Institute for Software Research and Computational Intelligence, Zurich, Switzerland

Abstract

The evolution of modern software engineering is increasingly characterized by a dual focus on human-centric behavioral competencies and automated technological advancement. This research presents a comprehensive, integrative framework that bridges the gap between behavioral software engineering-specifically competence modeling and human aspects-and the technical rigors of migrating legacy monolithic systems to cloud-native architectures. By synthesizing three decades of refactoring research with contemporary AI-augmented methodologies, the study addresses the critical challenge of managing technical debt while ensuring that the individual professional capability of engineers is aligned with industrial needs. We analyze the multidimensional nature of competence, incorporating cognitive, functional, and social dimensions to propose a roadmap for software assurance and individual capability enhancement. Simultaneously, the article investigates the taxonomy of service identification approaches, exploring how object-oriented source code can be materialized into component-based languages through inheritance transformation and instantiation. The research further evaluates the impact of cloud design patterns, deployment tracking, and exception monitoring on the sustainability of cloud-native applications. By providing a systematic literature review and empirical mapping of both human behaviors and technical modernization strategies, this study identifies a unified path for software development organizations to achieve architectural agility without sacrificing the psychological and behavioral foundations of the engineering process.

Keywords

Behavioral Software Engineering, Competence Models, Technical Debt, Legacy System Migration

References

📄 Abid, C., Alizadeh, V., Kessentini, M., Ferreira, T.d.N., Dig, D. 30 years of software refactoring research: A systematic literature review. arXiv preprint arXiv:2007.02194, 2020.
📄 Abdellatif, M., Shatnawi, A., Mili, H., Moha, N., Boussaidi, G. E., Hecht, G., Privat, J., and Gueheneuc, Y.-G. A taxonomy of service identification approaches for legacy software systems modernization. Journal of Systems and Software, 173:110868, 2021.
📄 Albuquerque, C., Correia, F.F. Deployment Tracking and Exception Tracking: monitoring design patterns for cloud-native applications. In: Proceedings of the 28th European Conference on Pattern Languages of Programs, ACM, 2023.
📄 Alshara, Z., Seriai, A.-D., Tibermacine, C., Bouziane, H. L., Dony, C., and Shatnawi, A. Migrating large object-oriented applications into component-based ones: instantiation and inheritance transformation. GPCE, 55–64, 2015.
📄 Alshara, Z., Seriai, A.-D., Tibermacine, C., Bouziane, H.- L., Dony, C., and Shatnawi, A. Materializing architecture recovered from object-oriented source code in component-based languages. ECSA, 309–325, 2016.
📄 Cloud design patterns - Azure Architecture Center. Available at https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/patterns/, 2025.
📄 K. S. Hebbar, “An AI-Augmented Framework for Refactoring Enterprise Monolithic Systems,” INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS AND APPLICATIONS IN ENGINEERING, vol. 11, no.8s, pp. 593-604, July. 2023 https://www.ijisae.org/index.php/IJISAE/article/view/8046/7054
📄 Le Deist, F.D., Winterton, J. What is competence? Hum. Resour. Dev. Int., 8 (1), 27-46, 2005.
📄 Lenberg, P., Feldt, R., Wallgren, L.G. Behavioral software engineering: A definition and systematic literature review. J. Syst. Softw., 107, 15-37, 2015.
📄 León-sigg, M. De, Pérez-valenzuela, B.J., Vázquez-reyes, S., Cisneros, J.L.V. Adaptation of the initial software development method for a single developer. 6th International Conference in Software Engineering Research and Innovation, 2018.
📄 Li, Z., Avgeriou, P., Liang, P. A systematic mapping study on technical debt and its management. J. Syst. Softw., 101, 193-220, 2015.
📄 Licorish, S.A., Macdonell, S.G. Differences in jazz project leaders’ competencies and behaviors: A preliminary empirical investigation. 2013 6th International Workshop on Cooperative and Human Aspects of Software Engineering, CHASE, 1-8, 2013.
📄 Linck, B., Ohrndorf, L., Schubert, S., Stechert, P., Magenheim, J., Nelles, W., Neugebauer, J., Schaper, N. Competence model for informatics modelling and system comprehension. 2013 IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference, EDUCON, 85-93, 2013.
📄 Mead, N.R., Shoemaker, D. The software assurance competency model: A roadmap to enhance individual professional capability. Software Engineering Education Conference, Proceedings, 119-128, 2013.
📄 Molléri, J.S., Petersen, K., Mendes, E. CERSE - Catalog for empirical research in software engineering: A systematic mapping study. Information and Software Technology, 1-33, 2018.
📄 Moreno, A.M., Sanchez-segura, M., Medina-dominguez, F., Carvajal, L. Balancing software engineering education and industrial needs. J. Syst. Softw., 85 (7), 1607-1620, 2012.
📄 Moustroufas, E., Stamelos, I., Angelis, L. Competency profiling for software engineers: Literature review and a new model. Proceedings of the 19th Panhellenic Conference on Informatics, 235-240, 2015.
📄 Orsoni, A., Colaco, B. A competency framework for software development organizations. 2013 UKSim 15th International Conference on Computer Modelling and Simulation, 507-511, 2013.
📄 Palvia, P., Leary, D., Mao, E., Midha, V., Pinjani, P., Salam, A.F. Research methodologies in MIS: An update. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 14, 2004.
📄 Papoutsoglou, M., Kapitsaki, G.M., Mittas, N. Linking personality traits and interpersonal skills to gamification awards. 2018 44th Euromicro Conference on Software Engineering and Advanced Applications, 214-221, 2018.

How to Cite

Stewart Whitefield. (2026). An Integrative Framework for Behavioral Software Engineering And AI-Augmented Architectural Evolution: Synthesizing Competence Models with Legacy System Refactoring. Global Multidisciplinary Journal, 5(01), 166-171. https://www.grpublishing.org/journals/index.php/gmj/article/view/363

Most read articles by the same author(s)

<< < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 > >> 

Similar Articles

1-10 of 116

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.