Iterative Software Engineering for Multiagent Systems : The MASSIVE Method The agent metaphor and the agent based approach to systems design constitute a promising new paradigm for building complex distributed systems. However until now the majority of the agent based applications available have been built by researchers who specialize in agent based computing and distributed artificial intelligence. If agent based computing is to become anything more than a niche technology practiced by the few then the base of people who can successfully apply the approach needs to be broadened dramatically. A major step in this broadening endeavor is the development of methodologies for agent oriented software engineering accessible to and attractive for professional software engineers in their daily work. Against this background this book presents one of the first coherent attempts to develop such a methodology for a broad class of agent based systems. The author provides a clear introduction to the key issues in the field of agent oriented software engineering