This paper describes the authors’ investigation into the various functional and behavioral aspects of CASE and their determination of the impact CASE has on manual methods of software engineering. Specifically, the study focused on the perceptions of MIS professionals who perform functions using CASE technology. The study used 91 subjects to evaluate a total of 17 CASE functions. The responses were analyzed and the 17 CASE functions were ranked from most to least productive.

With CASE vendors claiming productivity improvements of 30 to 300 percent, this paper is a tidy, straightforward, and refreshing treatment of the subject. Although this study does not attempt to refute productivity claims, it does suggest that productivity gains are limited to specific MIS functions and that these gains differ by function. Anyone considering the purchase of CASE packages should read this paper.