Software Engineering Metrics for COTS-Based Systems

The paradigm shift to commercial off-the-shelf components appears inevitable, necessitating drastic changes to current software development and business practices. Quality and risk concerns currently limit the application of COTS based system design to noncritical applications. New approaches to quality and risk management will be needed to handle the growth of CBSs. Our metrics based approach and software engineering metrics can aid developers and managers in analyzing the return on investment in quality improvement initiatives for CBSs. These metrics also facilitate the modeling of cost and quality, although we need more complex models to capture the intricate relationships between cost and quality metrics in a CBS

Metrics and Models for Cost and Quality of Component-Based Software

Quality and risk concerns currently limit the application of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software components to non-critical applications. Software metrics can quantify factors contributing to the overall quality of a component-based system, and models for tradeoffs between cost and various aspects of quality can guide quality and risk management by identifying and eliminating sources of risk. This paper discusses metrics and models that can be used to alleviate quality concerns for COTS-based systems, enabling the use of COTS components in a broader range of applications

Integrating Dynamic Models for CMM-Based Software Process Improvement

During the last decade software process simulation has been used to address a wide diversity of management problems. Some of these problems are related to strategic management, technology adoption, understanding, training and learning, and risk management, among others. In this work a dynamic integrated framework for software process improvement is presented. This framework combines traditional estimation static models with an intensive utilization of dynamic simulation models of the software process. The aim of this framework is to support a qualitative and quantitative assessment for software process improvement and decision making to achieve a higher software development process capability according to the Capability Maturity Model. The paper describes the concepts underlying this framework, its implementation, the dynamic approach followed to systematically develop the dynamic modules, and an example of its potential use and benefits.CICYT TIC2001-1143-C03-0

An Integrated Framework for Simulation-based Software Process Improvement

In this paper we present an integrated framework for software process improvement according to CMM. The framework is double-integrated. First, it is based on the systematic integration of dynamic modules to build a dynamic model to model each maturity level proposed in the reference model. As a consequence, a hierarchical set of dynamic models is developed following the same hierarchy of levels suggested in CMM. Second, the dynamic models of the framework are integrated with the use of different static techniques commonly used in planning, control, and process evaluation. The paper describes the reasons found to follow this approach, the integration process of models and techniques, the implementation of the framework, and shows an example of how it can be used in a software process improvement regarding the cost of software quality.CICYT TIC2001-1143-C03-0

Software Process Dynamics: Modeling, Simulation and Improvement

The aim of this chapter is to introduce the reader to the dynamics of the software process, the ways to represent and formalize it, and how it can be integrated with other techniques to facilitate, among other things, process improvement. In order to achieve this goal, different approaches of software process modeling and simulation will be introduced, analyzing their pros and cons. Then, continuous modeling will be used as the modeling approach to build software process models that work in the qualitative and quantitative fields, assessing the decision-making process and the software process improvement arena. The integration of this approach with current process assessment models (such as CMM), static and algorithmic models (such as traditional models used in the estimation process) and the design of a metrics collection program which is triggered by the actual process of model building will also be described in the chapter.Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología (CICYT) TIN2004-06689-C03-0

Rethinking the Concept of Commitment in Software Process Improvement

Literature and practice has agreed that commitment plays an important role in software process improvement (SPI)[1] initiatives. However, the concept of commitment has not been seriously researched in the SPI community. This paper seeks to provide a synthesis of contemporary commitment literature – giving SPI research and practice a new perspective on the phenomenon. It is shown that current thinking relies on models of commitment that are flawed in both academic and practical sense. Namely, four misconceptions [2] are identified in current thinking: 1) the assumption of causality in the human cognitive processes, i.e., commitment in this case), 2) the controllability of this process, 3) the notion of a singular commitment construct, and 4) the idea that commitment is an all-positive phenomenon. Implications of these findings for SPI research and practice are discussed

Marco para evaluar garantía en desarrollos de software

Este artículo expone un marco simplificado para estudiar los costos de garantía en el desarrollo de software. Se proponen métodos para obtener los parámetros requeridos por los modelos de confiabilidad citados en la bibliografía desde métricas de proceso comúnmente encontradas en la línea de base de organizaciones desarrolladoras. El marco propuesto es validado mediante técnicas de simulación por el método de Montecarlo para explorar la magnitud de los resultados y la sensibilidad a los parámetros utilizados. Se extraen conclusiones preliminares y se identifican líneas de trabajo futuras.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativa (SADIO

Simplified framework to evaluate software development warranty

This article addresses a simplified framework to evaluate the warranty costs of a software development process. The approach uses parameters required by the models from metrics commonly found associated with a software development project. Methods are proposed to extract and apply organizational baselines. The proposed framework is validated using simulation techniques based on the Monte Carlo method, allowing for the assessment of the likely distribution of the results and the sensitivity with the parameters used. Preliminary conclusions are extracted and future lines of work identified.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativ