Evaluating a Disruptive Innovation: Function Extraction Technology in Software Development

Innovation in any field comes from disruption in normal behaviors, patterns, and methods of performing work. Software engineering can benefit from innovative technologies to improve quality and productivity in software development. However, it is often difficult to provide convincing evidence to key stakeholders, as a basis for understanding and investing resources in disruptive innovations. Function Extraction (FX) is an emerging technology for automated computation of software behavior. In this paper, we posit that FX is a potentially disruptive technology that can have a major impact on software development. We discuss the challenges of effectively evaluating FX to convince stakeholders that it is worth investment of time and resources. We request active participation of conference attendees to help evaluate the technology as a disruptive innovation.