Software-Engineering Process Simulation (SEPS) model

The Software Engineering Process Simulation (SEPS) model is described which was developed at JPL. SEPS is a dynamic simulation model of the software project development process. It uses the feedback principles of system dynamics to simulate the dynamic interactions among various software life cycle development activities and management decision making processes. The model is designed to be a planning tool to examine tradeoffs of cost, schedule, and functionality, and to test the implications of different managerial policies on a project's outcome. Furthermore, SEPS will enable software managers to gain a better understanding of the dynamics of software project development and perform postmodern assessments

Analyzing software data bindings in large-scale systems

One central feature of the structure of a software system is the coupling among its components (e.g., subsystems. modules) and the cohesion within them. The purpose of this study is to quantify ratios of coupling and cohesion and use them in the generation of hierarchical system descriptions. The ability of the hierarchical descriptions to localize errors by identifying error-prone system structure is evaluated using actual error data. Measures of data interaction, called data bindings, are used as the basis for calculating software coupling and cohesion. A 135,000 source line system from a production environment has been selected for empirical analysis. Software error data was collected from high-level system design through system test and from some field operation of the system. A set of five tools is applied to calculate the data bindings automatically, and cluster analysis is used to determine a hierarchical description of each of the system's 77 subsystems. An analysis of variance model is used to characterize subsystems and individual routines that had either many/few errors or high/low error correction effort

Using software development progress data to understand threats to project outcomes

Peer reviewe

A research review of quality assessment for software

Measures were recommended to assess the quality of software submitted to the AdaNet program. The quality factors that are important to software reuse are explored and methods of evaluating those factors are discussed. Quality factors important to software reuse are: correctness, reliability, verifiability, understandability, modifiability, and certifiability. Certifiability is included because the documentation of many factors about a software component such as its efficiency, portability, and development history, constitute a class for factors important to some users, not important at all to other, and impossible for AdaNet to distinguish between a priori. The quality factors may be assessed in different ways. There are a few quantitative measures which have been shown to indicate software quality. However, it is believed that there exists many factors that indicate quality and have not been empirically validated due to their subjective nature. These subjective factors are characterized by the way in which they support the software engineering principles of abstraction, information hiding, modularity, localization, confirmability, uniformity, and completeness

Software development: A paradigm for the future

A new paradigm for software development that treats software development as an experimental activity is presented. It provides built-in mechanisms for learning how to develop software better and reusing previous experience in the forms of knowledge, processes, and products. It uses models and measures to aid in the tasks of characterization, evaluation and motivation. An organization scheme is proposed for separating the project-specific focus from the organization's learning and reuse focuses of software development. The implications of this approach for corporations, research and education are discussed and some research activities currently underway at the University of Maryland that support this approach are presented

Requirements engineering: a review and research agenda

This paper reviews the area of requirements engineering. It outlines the key concerns to which attention should be devoted by both practitioners, who wish to "reengineer" their development processes, and academics, seeking intellectual challenges. It presents an assessment of the state-of-the-art and draws conclusions in the form of a research agenda

Improving Neighborhood Location Outcomes in the Housing Choice Voucher Program: A Scan of Mobility Assistance Programs

Based on interviews with housing mobility program staff, outlines issues and suggestions for assignment and sites; destination neighborhoods; measures, tracking, and outcomes; evaluation and cost effectiveness; and challenges with such demonstrations