It Will Never Work in Theory

TL;DR

Problem: software engineering research and industry practice remain divided, impeding adoption of evidence-based improvements. Approach: a long-running, open-access review and a sequence of lightning-talk events attempted to translate empirical findings for practitioners and measure impact. Findings: engagement stayed modest and uptake was limited to individual tooling changes rather than standardized engineering practices; practitioners often dismiss or repurpose findings, limiting practical impact. Significance: the paper argues for an undergraduate curriculum redesign to couple research methods with practical discoveries, aiming to produce graduates who can bridge the gap and drive better adoption of research insights.

Abstract

We have been trying to get software engineering researchers and practitioners to talk to one another for over a decade. This paper describes what we have done, assesses our impact, and recommends an approach that we hope will have greater success.