1 Software Project Management (SWE440 – 1802A - 01) Unit 2 Individual Project = Phillip Isiah Houston Sr. Instructor Jeffery Sanford Due Date 18 April 2018 Figures title: 2 Incorporation of ISO/IEEE Standards The proposed software development methodology based on the use of extreme programming provides our company with agile software development. The main advantages of using such system are the rapid adaptation of the developed software system and the relatively high level of responsiveness of the system towards a dynamic environment, characterized by the continuous change in the customer's requirements. The extreme programming software development methodology is proposed as an alternative method to increase the company's profitability. Such improvement is founded on the introduction of multiple checkpoints that will enable the company to verify whether or not the software under development matches the customer’s requirements. To be effective and to attain the planned goals, though, such system requires the introduction of ISO/IEEE Standards. In this regard, Cheikhi, Al-Qutaish, and Idri (2012) highlight how the implementation of ISO/IEEE Software Engineering Standards and the homogenization of the software development protocols are critical for enhancing the software productivity. Productivity and international standards Productivity is often defined by taking into account a series of variables, including the output obtained from the process, the invested cost or effort in getting such output, and the practical use of the available resources. Applied to the software development industry, this definition of productivity needs to take into account the lines of code generated by the different programmers, the cost of development of such code, the degree of utilization of part of the code in future programs. Figures title: 3 The applicable international standards that define the company’s productivity regarding the software development are the ISO 9126, the ISO 25010, and the IEEE 1045. In this regard, the ISO 9126 defines the productivity of the software development as "the capability of the software product to enable users to expend appropriate amounts of resources about the effectiveness achieved in a specified context of use" (ISO 9126). Table 1 summarizes the necessary measures to monitor the productivity of the software developed by a company as per the criteria of both the ISO 9126 and the IEEE 1045 international standards. Table 1. Assessment of the productivity in the software development industry as per the relative standards on the productivity of software development ISO 9126 / ISO 25010 • How long does it take to complete a IEEE 1045 • Which project characteristics and task? factors can the software developer • How efficient are the users? manage? • How cost-effective are the users? • What proportion of the time is the user performing productive actions? • How efficient is an average user • How do such characteristics and factors impact the project? • Which characteristics and factors of the product affect its overall quality? compared to an expert? The relevance of the ISO and IEEE standards for the company As can be observed from table 1, the evaluation of the productivity of the developed software according to the ISO and IEEE standards is not a straightforward approach due to the Figures title: 4 high number of variables that need to be taken into account. However, the analysis of such variables provides the company not only with the desired assessment of its productivity but most importantly, with all the necessary information for the evaluation of the different types of problems that may be impacting the productivity of the company (Cheikhi, Al-Qutaish & Idri, 2012). The analysis of the potential issues is crucial as part of the continuous improvement in the overall quality management system of the company, as it highlights the potential areas for improvement in which the software engineers working at the company need to focus on to increase the company’s productivity. Furthermore, the implementation of such standards for the evaluation of the productivity in the development of software provides the company with a substantial competitive advantage over other software developing companies. In this regard, the implementation of the ISO and IEEE standards may enable the company to apply for the ISO and ANSI certifications. Such certification will provide higher credibility of the company's software from the end customers, resulting in an indirect increase in the sales of the developed software (Cheikhi, Al-Qutaish & Idri, 2012). Implementation of the ISO and IEEE standards in the company First of all, it is important to note that the implementation of the ISO and IEEE standards in the company is not only desirable, but also a profitable move considering the expected increase in sales resulting from the obtained competitive advantage and the higher trust of the customers on the company’s products. From this point of view, the implemented ISO and IEEE standards should have a profound impact on the financial statements of the company due to the substantial increase in the expected revenues and the net income. The assessment of the modification of the financial statements, as per the financial plan highlighted in the previous Figures title: 5 communication, hence provide a quantitative measure of the efficiency of the implemented standards. Code review and its incorporation into future software developed by the company Both the ISO and IEEE standards foresee and encourage the possibility of reusing valid code in the creation of future software by the company. In this regard, and as highlighted previously, one of the critical variables affecting the productivity of a software development company is the ability to use existing resources. Thus, the inclusion of revised, fully-operational code into the line code of future programs represents a significant advantage for the company, as the software engineers would not need to rewrite the same pieces of code over and over again. For such implementation, however, it is crucial that the software engineers working for the company have already verified that the incorporated lines of code work correctly, not to perpetuate possible development problems in the future programs developed by the company. Continuous improvement The continuous improvement of any quality management system involves the periodic evaluation of the operation of the system, and the solution of any identified issues. Following with the same trendline as other quality related ISO standards, the ISO 9126 and its newer version ISO 25010 highlight the importance of the continuous improvement of the quality of the developed software at the company as an essential step towards the increase of the company's productivity. In this regard, the implementation of the ISO 9126 and the ISO 25010, and the following certification of the company as per the cited standards, require the company to: • Periodically monitor the quality of the developed software • Assess the presence of any non-conformities that may impact the quality of the developed lines of code, and if identified, correct them Figures title: • 6 Verify that the implemented corrective actions were efficient in the solution of the identified non-conformities. Conclusion The implementation of the ISO and IEEE standards in our company is a highly beneficial move. In this regard, it promotes the continuous evaluation and improvement of the software developed at the company, as well as the utilization of revised code in the development of future programs. As a result of these measures, the incorporation of the ISO 9126, ISO 25010 and IEEE 1045 standards shall result in a substantial increase in the company's productivity, which will imply that a higher number of lines of code may be programmed in a shorter time. Furthermore, if the company applies to the certification as per the implemented standards, such certification will increase the trust that the customers have on the products delivered by the company, resulting in higher sales and higher profitability. Figures title: 7 References Cheikhi, L., Al-Qutaish, R. E., & Idri, A. (2012). Software Productivity: Harmonization in ISO/IEEE Software Engineering Standards. Journal of Software, 7(2). doi:10.4304/jsw.7.2.462-470 IEEE. (1992, September 17). ANSI/IEEE 1045-1992 - IEEE Standard for Software Productivity Metrics. Retrieved April 14, 2018, from https://standards.ieee.org/findstds/standard/10451992.html ISO. (2012, September 13). ISO - International Organization for Standardization: ISO/IEC 91261: 2001. Software Engineering. Retrieved April 14, 2018, from https://www.iso.org/standard/22749.html ISO. (2017, August 16). ISO - International Organization for Standardization: ISO/IEC 25010:2011. Retrieved April 14, 2018, from https://www.iso.org/standard/35733.html
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