Perceived Control of Software Developers and Its Impact on the Successful Diffusion of Information Technology

Why are beneficial software engineering practices not being used effectively in the development of software systems? This question has intrigued researchers in software engineering for many years. Billions of dollars per year are spent, and a large proportion wasted, on building and maintaining software systems that are either never completed or, if completed, are of poor quality. This state of software development has led to the introduction of innovative tools and techniques to support the software development process. Initial evidence from use of these tools and techniques shows significant improvements in development productivity and software quality. However, many of these potentially beneficial tools and techniques have not been widely adopted or diffused. This research seeks to examine the reason for why this is so: What factors explain the successful diffusion of new software development techniques into practice

Flow-Service-Quality (FSQ) Engineering: Foundations for Network System Analysis and Development

Modern society could hardly function without the large-scale, network-centric information systems that pervade government, defense, and industry. As a result, serious failures or compromises carry far-reaching consequences. These systems are characterized by changing and often unknown boundaries and components, constantly varying function and usage, and complexities of pervasive asynchronous operations. Their complexity challenges human intellectual control, and their survivability has become an urgent priority. Engineering methods based on solid foundations and the realities of network systems are required to manage complexity and ensure survivability. Flow-Service-Quality (FSQ) engineering is an emerging technology for management, acquisition, analysis, development, evolution, and operation of large-scale, network-centric systems. FSQ engineering is based on Flow Structures, Computational Quality Attributes, and Flow Management Architectures. These technologies can help provide stable engineering foundations for the dynamic and often unpredictable world of large-scale, network-centric systems. Flow Structures define enterprise mission task flows and their refinements into uses of system services in network traversals. Flows are deterministic for human understanding, despite the underlying asynchronism of network operations. They can be refined, abstracted, and verified with precision, and deal explicitly with Uncertainty Factors, including uncertain commercial off-the-shelf functionality and system failures and compromises. Computational Quality Attributes go beyond static, a priori estimates to treat quality attributes such as reliability and survivability as dynamic functions to be computed in system operation. Computational Quality Attribute requirements are associated with flows and can be dynamically reconciled with network service attributes in execution. Flow Management Architectures include design and implementation frameworks for dynamically managing flows and attribute requirements, as well as processes for their development. FSQ foundations are defined by theorems that illuminate engineering practices and automation opportunities

The CERT Function Extraction Experiment: Quantifying FX Impact on Software Comprehension and Verification

Function Extraction (FX) is a new, theory-based technology for automated calculation of the functional behavior of software. The CERT Function Extraction experiment was conducted so as to better understand the impact of FX on human comprehension and verification of soft-ware and to rigorously quantify the business case for FX technology. This report describes the results of the controlled experiment that was performed to compare traditional manual methods of comprehension with automated behavior computation using an FX prototype. The results of the experiment show a substantial increase in human capabilities for software comprehension and verification using FX technology

The Impact of Function Extraction Technology on Next-Generation Software Engineering

Currently, software engineers lack practical means to determine the full functional behavior of complex programs. This gap in intellectual control is the source of many long-standing and intractable problems in security, software, and systems engineering. Function Extraction (FX) technology is directed to automated computation of full program behavior. FX is based on function-theoretic mathematical foundations of software that illuminate algorithmic methods for behavior computation. FX holds promise to replace resource-intensive, error-prone analysis of program behavior in human time scale with fast and correct analysis in computer time scale. The CERT organization of the Software Engineering Institute is conducting research and development in FX technology and is developing a Function Extraction for Malicious Code system to rapidly determine the behavior of malicious code expressed in Assembler Language. FX technology has the potential for transformational impact across the software engineering life cycle, from specification and design to implementation, testing, and evolution. This study investigates these impacts and, based on a survey of software professionals, defines a strategy for FX evolution that addresses high-leverage opportunities first. FX is an initial step in developing next-generation software engineering as a computational discipline

Results of SEI Independent Research and Development Projects and Report on Emerging Technologies and Technology Trends

Each year, the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) undertakes several Independent Research and Development (IR&D) projects. These projects serve to (1) support feasibility studies investigating whether further work by the SEI would be of potential benefit, and (2) support further exploratory work to determine whether there is sufficient value in eventually funding the feasibility study work as an SEI initiative. Projects are chosen based on their potential to mature and/or transition software engineering practices, develop information that will help in deciding whether further work is worth funding, and set new directions for SEI work. This report describes the IR&D projects that were conducted during fiscal year 2005 (October 2004 through September 2005). In addition, this report provides information on what the SEI has learned in its role as a technology scout for developments over the past year in the field of software engineering