Impact of Budget and Schedule Pressure on Software Development Cycle Time and Effort

As excessive budget and schedule compression becomes the norm in today's software industry, an understanding of its impact on software development performance is crucial for effective management strategies. Previous software engineering research has implied a nonlinear impact of schedule pressure on software development outcomes. Borrowing insights from organizational studies, we formalize the effects of budget and schedule pressure on software cycle time and effort as U-shaped functions. The research models were empirically tested with data from a 25 billion/year international technology firm, where estimation bias is consciously minimized and potential confounding variables are properly tracked. We found that controlling for software process, size, complexity, and conformance quality, budget pressure, a less researched construct, has significant U-shaped relationships with development cycle time and development effort. On the other hand, contrary to our prediction, schedule pressure did not display significant nonlinear impact on development outcomes. A further exploration of the sampled projects revealed that the involvement of clients in the software development might have ldquoerodedrdquo the potential benefits of schedule pressure. This study indicates the importance of budget pressure in software development. Meanwhile, it implies that achieving the potential positive effect of schedule pressure requires cooperation between clients and software development teams.     

An Empirical Study on the Relationship Between Software Design Quality, Development Effort and Governance in Open Source Projects

The relationship among software design quality, development effort, and governance practices is a traditional research problem. However, the extent to which consolidated results on this relationship remain valid for open source (OS) projects is an open research problem. An emerging body of literature contrasts the view of open source as an alternative to proprietary software and explains that there exists a continuum between closed and open source projects. This paper hypothesizes that as projects approach the OS end of the continuum, governance becomes less formal. In turn a less formal governance is hypothesized to require a higher-quality code as a means to facilitate coordination among developers by making the structure of code explicit and facilitate quality by removing the pressure of deadlines from contributors. However, a less formal governance is also hypothesized to increase development effort due to a more cumbersome coordination overhead. The verification of research hypotheses is based on empirical data from a sample of 75 major OS projects. Empirical evidence supports our hypotheses and suggests that software quality, mainly measured as coupling and inheritance, does not increase development effort, but represents an important managerial variable to implement the more open governance approach that characterizes OS projects which, in turn, increases development effort.     

An Insider's view of CMM Level 5

Many organizations in the software industry have adopted the Software Engineering Institute's Capability Maturity Model (CMM). However, only recently have enough organizations reached Level 5 to enable a coherent discussion of Level 5 issues. To facilitate such a discussion, the editors of Quality Time solicited questions about what it means to be a Level 5 organization from academic, industry, and government representatives.     

CMM 二级SQA 关键过程域与软件过程改进

探讨了CMM二级KPA软件质量保证的实施与软件过程改进,描述了实施SQA过程的职能、SQA过程与软件开发过程的关系和SQA过程实施。在CMM二级中,SQA是唯一评审其他5个KPA的过程域。由于它的这种监督性,软件过程改进的大部分信息源来自SQA KPA,SQA在整个软件过程的改进中起着关键的作用,充当SEPG和项目组之间的桥梁。 关键词：     

Software Project Duration and Effort: An Empirical Study

Software projects frequently finish late and over budget. Much of the research to date has characterized this problem in terms of inadequate project estimation or incomplete requirements determination. In this study, we concentrate instead on understanding the relationship between project duration and project effort. Over time, a dynamic environment contributes to the expansion of project requirements, thus increasing the scope and effort required to complete the project, irrespective of initial requirements and anticipated project size. Further, frequent delays and interruptions in a project contribute to greater effort each time work is resumed. We develop and empirically evaluate a two-stage model to relate project duration and effort. Our results indicate a significant and positive relationship between project duration and effort, controlling for anticipated project size and other project characteristics. Our model also provides an estimate for the rate of environmental change while projects are in progress. We demonstrate the practical implications of our model by showing how it can be used in conjunction with time boxing techniques and new development methodologies to better scope software projects.     

Editorial: Software Quality and Internet Time

Software Quality Journal -     

Software Function, Source Lines of Code, and Development Effort Prediction: A Software Science Validation

One of the most important problems faced by software developers and users is the prediction of the size of a programming system and its development effort. As an alternative to "size," one might deal with a measure of the "function" that the software is to perform. Albrecht [1] has developed a methodology to estimate the amount of the "function" the software is to perform, in terms of the data it is to use (absorb) and to generate (produce). The "function" is quantified as "function points," essentially, a weighted sum of the numbers of "inputs," "outputs,"master files," and "inquiries" provided to, or generated by, the software. This paper demonstrates the equivalence between Albrecht's external input/output data flow representative of a program (the "function points" metric) and Halstead's [2] "software science" or "software linguistics" model of a program as well as the "soft content" variation of Halstead's model suggested by Gaffney [7].     

A Guttman Scaling of CMM Level 2 Practices: Investigating the Implementation Sequences Underlying Software Engineering Maturity

The Capability Maturity Model specifies several hundred key practices that must be implemented as a team moves from Level 1 to Level 5 of the model. However, the model does not specify within each level the optimal sequence in which to implement the practices. Level 2 contains 121 such practices grouped under six key process areas (KPAs) which are further subdivided into five common feature areas (CFAs). Although the KPA/CFA structure has a logical fit with the organizational structure of very large software development teams, it does not correspond to the reality of small teams. Using Level 2 audit data collected on 10 small software development teams, the authors try to determine whether the data itself can point to a more appropriate implementation strategy for small teams. The data is analyzed using Guttman scaling techniques (scalogram analysis). The results indicate that there is a single underlying, orderable dimension at Level 2 which lays out a step-by-step path upward from Level 1. The order of the items is found to map well to the familiar Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle widely used by project managers to organize and control work efforts. The extracted scale can be used as an assessment tool to provide management with a quick snapshot of a team's current position relative to Level 2.     

一类小型软件企业实施CMM2级的研究

分析了基于SSR需求的测试项目的特点和以该类项目为主的小型软件企业的特点，并通过实例阐述了这类组织实施CMM2级的一些要点和实施过程中要注意的问题。根据对项目和组织的特点分析及对实施CMM2级后组织的能力成熟度的提升和软件过程改进后的效果的分析，得出实施CMM2级能够使以基于SSR需求的测试项目为主的小型软件企业实现有效的软件过程改进。     

基于CMM的软件质量保障平台定义框架

随着计算机软件产业的形成和发展 ,软件质量保证受到越来越多的重视 .于是 ,一种专门针对软件开发组织的软件质量保证模型 CMM逐渐成为研究热点 .本文介绍了 CMM的思想 ,提出了基于 CMM的软件质量保障平台定义框架 ,最后给出了基于定义部分结果构筑的在分布式协同环境下实现的系统结构框图 .     

WIDS:一个基于CMM模型的软件缺陷管理系统

缺陷管理是中大型软件开发过程中的重要部分,通过对现有缺陷管理工具的分析,依据CMM模型和软件中心管理流程的特殊需求,设计和实现了一个软件缺陷管理系统WIDS.WIDS系统采用了浏览器的B/S架构,实现了缺陷跟踪的流程,对缺陷状态的变化进行控制,提供及时的问题报告,通知并定位到相应的人员,并具有统计分析、查询、权限管理等功能.实际应用表明WIDS系统有效地提高了软件的质量和管理效率.     

GVSEE: A Global Village Service Effort Estimator to Estimate Software Services Development Effort

As software services have become a main and basic part of companies in recent years, accurate and efficient estimates of required effort for their development has turned into a major concern. Furthermore, the great variety, complexity, nonnormality, and inconsistency of software services have made estimation of the needed development effort a very difficult task. In spite of the numerous studies conducted, and improvements made, in the past, no single model has yet been introduced that can reliably estimate the required effort. All the proposed methods enjoy suitable performance under specific conditions but lack satisfactory accuracy in a general and global space. Therefore, apparently, it is impossible to introduce a global and efficient model for all types of services. This article proposes a new model called GVSEE that emphasizes the idea “Think locally, act globally.” Unlike previous studies, this model does not rely on a specific method and, in addition to combining methods, takes a local look at each software service with the help of fuzzy clustering. The model was evaluated on the real dataset ISBSG and on two artificial datasets, and results obtained indicate its tangible efficiency and the lack of accuracy of other models. As well as its greater accuracy, other advantages of the proposed model over other models are its adaptability and flexibility in confronting complexities and uncertainties present in the area of software services.     

基于CMM的软件维护过程管理及其工具研究

本文介绍了基于CMM的软件维护过程,提出了一种软件维护过程模型,并介绍了一种纠错性维护工具的设计及开发过程.     

An Empirical Study of Analogy-based Software Effort Estimation

Conventional approaches to software cost estimation have focused on algorithmic cost models, where an estimate of effort is calculated from one or more numerical inputs via a mathematical model. Analogy-based estimation has recently emerged as a promising approach, with comparable accuracy to algorithmic methods in some studies, and it is potentially easier to understand and apply. The current study compares several methods of analogy-based software effort estimation with each other and also with a simple linear regression model. The results show that people are better than tools at selecting analogues for the data set used in this study. Estimates based on their selections, with a linear size adjustment to the analogue's effort value, proved more accurate than estimates based on analogues selected by tools, and also more accurate than estimates based on the simple regression model.     

CMM导入小型软件企业/小型软件项目的研究

文章在介绍软件能力成熟度模型(CapabilityMaturityModel,CMM)的基础上,分析小型软件企业/小型软件项目特点,提出CMM导入小型软件企业/小型软件项目过程中应注意的问题,针对CMM五层标准,给出了小型软件企业/小型软件项目引入CMM的方案。     

基于CMM的软件维护过程管理及其工具研究

本文介绍了基于CMM的软件维护过程,提出了一种软件维护过程模型,并介绍了一种纠错性维护工具的设计及开发过程。     

基于ISO9001和CMM的软件需求管理的研究

1.问题的提出软件需求的定义比较多,各种定义之间比较容易混淆.学术界倾向于把整个需求范围称之为“需求工程”。从软件工程角度来讲,把整个软件需求研究领域划分为“需求开发”和“需求管理”比较合适。图1表明了需求开发和需求管理在整个需求工程中的关系。     

基于IS09001和CMM的软件需求管理的研究

Regarding ISO9001 and CMM Requirements Management as the background,this article analyses the demands of Requirements Management with the techology and methods of Software Requirements Development;presents the Requirements Management practice framework,which can be used to promote the software processes capability of software enterprises;establish the Requirements Management of document flow and workfolw.As a result,based on the practice fractice framework,the Requirements Management sub-platform is established as a part of software quality assurance platform based on ISO9000 and CMM.and it can be used to intensify the requirement management and development of software enterprises.     

Mining Software History to Improve Software Maintenance Quality: A Case Study

To keep the Windows operating system stable and secure, Microsoft constantly updates it. However, any update can cause a software regression—an undesired change in the system's stable parts. A key technique for fighting regressions is thorough testing of all updates, which is costly. A statistical model that estimates the risk for updates on the basis of their characteristics makes testing more efficient. Training this model requires collecting data on a large number of fixes made in previous versions of Windows. The Binary Change Tracer tool gets this information from the disparate data sources.