In its most general form, it refers to the ability to identify, encapsulate, and manipulate those parts of software that are relevant to a particular concept, goal, purpose, or issue. The potential has not yet been achieved, however, despite attention to this issue for nearly three decades.
Separation of concerns is still inadequate, and software is still plagued by the attendant problems.
Other important kinds of concerns cut across the dominant modules, and cannot be encapsulated effectively. Instead, the software pertaining to such a concern is scattered across many modules, and tangled with the software pertaining to other concerns. Over the last few years, a number of researchers have recognized this limitation, illustrated it in a number of domains and scenarios, and developed advanced modularization mechanisms to help overcome it. The area is young, and many open research issues and practical challenges remain. This workshop is intended to bring together researchers interested in pushing the frontier in this important area, and practitioners who have experienced problems related to inadequate separation of concerns that can help to guide the research.