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Prompts as Software Engineering Artifacts: A Research Agenda and Preliminary Findings
fortiss GmbH, Munich, Germany.
fortiss GmbH, Munich, Germany.
University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany.
University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany.
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2026 (English)In: Product-Focused Software Process Improvement: 26th International Conference, PROFES 2025, Salerno, Italy, December 1–3, 2025, Proceedings / [ed] Scanniello G., Romano S., Francese R., Lenarduzzi V., Vegas S., Springer Science+Business Media B.V., 2026, p. 470-478Conference paper, Published paper (Refereed)
Abstract [en]

Developers now routinely interact with large language models (LLMs) to support a range of software engineering (SE) tasks. This prominent role positions prompts as potential SE artifacts that, like other artifacts, may require systematic development, documentation, and maintenance. However, little is known about how prompts are actually used and managed in LLM-integrated workflows, what challenges practitioners face, and whether the benefits of systematic prompt management outweigh the associated effort. To address this gap, we propose a research programme that (a) characterizes current prompt practices, challenges, and influencing factors in SE; (b) analyzes prompts as software artifacts, examining their evolution, traceability, reuse, and the trade-offs of systematic management; and (c) develops and empirically evaluates evidence-based guidelines for managing prompts in LLM-integrated workflows. As a first step, we conducted an exploratory survey with 74 software professionals from six countries to investigate current prompt practices and challenges. The findings reveal that prompt usage in SE is largely ad-hoc: prompts are often refined through trial-and-error, rarely reused, and shaped more by individual heuristics than standardized practices. These insights not only highlight the need for more systematic approaches to prompt management but also provide the empirical foundation for the subsequent stages of our research programme. 

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Springer Science+Business Media B.V., 2026. p. 470-478
Series
Lecture Notes in Computer Science, ISSN 0302-9743 ; 16361
Keywords [en]
AI engineering, prompt management, software engineering, Computer software reusability, 'current, Engineering tasks, Integrated workflow, Language model, Research agenda, Research programs, Reuse, Software artefacts, Economic and social effects
National Category
Software Engineering
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:bth-28989DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-12089-2_32Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105023310842ISBN: 9783032120885 (print)OAI: oai:DiVA.org:bth-28989DiVA, id: diva2:2021045
Conference
26th International Conference on Product-Focused Software Process Improvement, PROFES 2025, Salerno, Dec 1-3, 2025
Available from: 2025-12-12 Created: 2025-12-12 Last updated: 2025-12-12Bibliographically approved

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Mendez, Daniel

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