What We Know We Don't Know: Empirical Software Engineering

This version of the talk was given at DDD Europe, 2024. Technology is a multitrillion dollar industry, but we know almost nothing about how it’s best practiced. Empirical Software Engineering, or ESE, is the study of what works in software and why. Instead of trusting our instincts we collect data, run studies, and peer-review our results. This talk is all about how we empirically find the facts in software and some of the challenges we face, concluding with a guide on how to find existing resea...