Determinants of Inspection Effectiveness in Software Development: An Empirical Analysis

Software inspections are formal evaluations of the intermediate work products (artifacts) of the development process. These artifacts are examined to ensure that a high quality work-product is delivered to the testers and ultimately to the end-users of the software product. The crucial role of inspections in determining quality of the software makes it important to assess the effectiveness of inspections. While prior research has identified several factors that influence effectiveness of software inspections, our understanding of the influence of team composition (personnel mix and team size) and the type of the inspected artifact (project plan, requirements specification, design document, code) on effectiveness of inspections is minimal. We develop hypotheses for the factors affecting inspection effectiveness and attempt to validate these hypotheses in a field setting. Our preliminary results show that, during early stages of software development, an increase in the proportion of experienced reviewers (with greater domain experience) is associated with both an increase in the total number of defects discovered in the inspection process as well as an increase in the likelihood of detecting high severity defects. However, during later stages, we find that greater pro- gramming experience is associated with both an increase in the total number of defects discovered in the inspection process as well as an increase in the likelihood of detecting high severity defects. These results have important implications for both practice and research

Spreadsheets and Sarbanes-Oxley: Regulations, Risks, and Control Frameworks

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) forced corporations to examine their spreadsheet use in financial reporting. Corporations do not like what they are seeing. Surveys conducted in response to SOX show that spreadsheets are used widely in corporate financial reporting. Spreadsheet error research, in turn, shows that nearly all large spreadsheets contain multiple errors and that errors of material size are quite common. The first round of Sarbanes-Oxley assessments confirmed concerns about spreadsheet accuracy. Another concern is spreadsheet fraud, which also exists in practice and is easy to perpetrate. Unfortunately, few organizations maintain effective controls to deal with either errors or fraud. This paper examines spreadsheet risks for Sarbanes-Oxley (and other regulations) and discusses how general and IT-specific control frameworks can be used to address the control risks created by spreadsheets

Promising lithography techniques for next generation logic devices : a review

Continuous rapid shrinking of feature size made the authorities to seek alternative patterning methods as the conventional photolithography comes with its intrinsic resolution limit. In this regard, some promising techniques have been proposed as next generation lithography (NGL) that have the potentials to achieve both high volume production and very high resolution. This article reviews the promising next generation lithography techniques and introduces the challenges and a perspective on future directions of the NGL techniques. Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (EUVL) is considered as the main candidate for sub-10 nm manufacturing and it could potentially meet the current requirements of the industry. Remarkable progress in EUVL has been made and the tools will be available for commercial operation soon. Maskless lithography techniques are used for patterning in R&D, mask/mold fabrication and low volume chip design. Directed Self Assembly (DSA) has already been realized in laboratory and further effort will be needed to make it as NGL solution. Nanoimprint Lithography has emerged attractively due to its simple process-steps, high-throughput, high-resolution and low-cost and become one of the commercial platforms for nanofabrication. However, a number of challenging issues are waiting ahead and further technological progresses are required to make the techniques significant and reliable to meet the current demand. Finally, a comparative study is presented among these techniques

Technology transfer: Transportation

The application of NASA derived technology in solving problems related to highways, railroads, and other rapid systems is described. Additional areas/are identified where space technology may be utilized to meet requirements related to waterways, law enforcement agencies, and the trucking and recreational vehicle industries

A Comprehensive Survey of China\u27s Dynamic Shipbuilding Industry

China\u27s dynamic shipbuilding sector now has the attention of key decision makers in Washington. During testimony before the Armed Services Committee of the House of Representatives on 13 December 2007, Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Admiral Gary Roughead observed, The fact that our shipbuilding capacity and industry is not as competitive as other builders around the world is cause for concern. Pointing directly to Beijing\u27s new prowess in this area, he concluded, [China is] very competitive on the world market. There is no question that their shipbuilding capability is increasing rapidly. The present study aims to present a truly comprehensive survey of this key sector of the growing Chinese economy. In doing so, it will provide decision makers and analysts with the clearest possible picture of the extraordinary pace of activity now under way in China\u27s ports, as well as the commercial and strategic implications flowing from this development.https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/cmsi-red-books/1000/thumbnail.jp

A Review of Software Inspections

For two decades, software inspections have proven effective for detecting defects in software. We have reviewed the different ways software inspections are done, created a taxonomy of inspection methods, and examined claims about the cost-effectiveness of different methods. We detect a disturbing pattern in the evaluation of inspection methods. Although there is universal agreement on the effectiveness of software inspection, their economics are uncertain. Our examination of several empirical studies leads us to conclude that the benefits of inspections are often overstated and the costs (especially for large software developments) are understated. Furthermore, some of the most influential studies establishing these costs and benefits are 20 years old now, which leads us to question their relevance to today's software development processes. Extensive work is needed to determine exactly how, why, and when software inspections work, and whether some defect detection techniques might be more cost-effective than others. In this article we ask some questions about measuring effectiveness of software inspections and determining how much they really cost when their effect on the rest of the development process is considered. Finding answers to these questions will enable us to improve the efficiency of software development. (Also cross-referenced as UMIACS-TR-95-104