Many tasks in experimental software engineering (ESE) involve the acquisition of knowledge. Only for very few of them systematic
knowledge acquisition (KA) practices have been established. It is expected that these ESE tasks can be accomplished more eéctively
if the application of appropriate systematic KA methods is fostered. Most reports on KA applications in software engineering
address only some selected aspects. A broader ESE perspective with its additional facets (e.g., quality and knowledge management
issues) has not yet been presented so far.
This paper surveys applications of knowledge acquisition in experimental software engineering, introduces a repository of
knowledge elicitation (KEL) techniques, and suggests a methodology for the development of customised KA methods in experimental
software engineering. Repository and methodology aim at fostering the dissemination of systematic KA practices in ESE. They
are applied at Fraunhofer IESE to develop methods for the acquisition of experiential software engineering knowledge.
Keywords knowledge acquisition - knowledge management - experimenal software engineering
Experimental Software Engineering [1] covers all traditional élds of Software Engineering. It places particular focus on the
empirical investigation of Software Engineering concepts such as techniques, methods, or tools. Approaches for managing the
gained empirical knowledge play an important role in ESE.