ÿþ<META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type"CONTENT="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//IETF//DTD HTML//EN"> <html> <head> <title>Boyd Summers on Policy in Software Engineering</title> <link rel=stylesheet type="text/css"href="http://ittoday.info/ITPerformanceImprovement/ITPIStyleSheet.css"> </head> <body style="background-color:#FCFCFC; font-family:sans-serif"> <center> <div class="banner"> <table width="1050"border="0"cellpadding="5"style="background-color:#1F7AA3"> <tbody> <tr valign="center"> <td width="25"> <p>&nbsp;</p> </td> <td width="210"align="left"> <form action="http://www.ittoday.info/ITPerformanceImprovement/ITPISearchResults.html"id="cse-search-box"> <p class="banner"> Search This Site <br> <input type="hidden"name="cx"value="007808019282534143292:vj47kjtjrzk"/> <input type="hidden"name="cof"value="FORID:9"/> <input type="hidden"name="ie"value="UTF-8"/> <input type="text"name="q"size="15"/> <input type="submit"name="sa"value="Search"/> <SCRIPT type=text/javascript src="http://www.google.com/coop/cse/brand?form=cse-search-box&amp;lang=en"></SCRIPT> <br><br> Share this Site <script type="text/javascript"src="http://w.sharethis.com/widget/?tabs=web%2Cpost%2Cemail&amp;charset=utf-8&amp;style=default&amp;publisher=c79f04e4-7f5b-483e-8eb1-d52b525c3483"></script> </form> </p> </td> <td width="400"align="center"valign="center"> <a href="http://ittoday.info/ITPerformanceImprovement/"><img src="http://www.ittoday.info/images/ITPIBannerTranspW.gif"border="0"align="top"></a> </td> <td width="30"> <p>&nbsp;</p> </td> <td width="275"align="left"> <FORM onsubmit="window.open( 'http://www.verticalresponse.com', 'vr_optin_popup', 'scrollbars=yes,width=600,height=450' ); return true;" method=post action=http://oi.vresp.com?fid=f853d545d5 target=vr_optin_popup> <p class="banner"> Subscribe Free to ITPI</b> <br> <input name="email_address"size="20"/> <input type="submit"value="Subscribe"/> <font style="font-size:.9em; text-align:left; vertical-align:center;"> <br> <b>Enter e-mail address</b> <br>Powered by <a class="banner"href="http://www.verticalresponse.com/?ref=oif"title="Email Marketing by VerticalResponse">VerticalResponse</a> </font> </form> </p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </div> </center> <center> <table width="1100"valign="top"border="0"cellspacing="20"> <tbody> <tr valign="top"> <td> <table width="160"cellpadding="10"border="0"style="background-color:#DDEBF1"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <center> <a href="http://www.auerbach-publications.com"><img src="http://www.ittoday.info/images/Auerbach.gif"border="0"align="bottom"width="62"height="62"></a> </center> <p style="font-size:.75em; text-align:left; vertical-align:center; color:black">For more than 50 years, Auerbach Publications has been printing <a href="http://www.ittoday.info/catalog/cataloghome.htm">cutting-edge books on all topics IT</a>. <br> <br> </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <center> <a href="http://www.ittoday.info"><img src="http://www.ittoday.info/images/ITTodayLogo125px.jpg"border="0"align="top"></a> </center> <p style="font-size:.75em; text-align:left; vertical-align:center; color:black"><a href="http://www.ism-journal.com/ITToday/ITTarchives.htm"target="blank">Read archived articles</a> or become a new <a href="http://www.ittoday.info">subscriber</a> to <b>IT Today,</b> a free newsletter. <br> <br> </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <center> <a href="http://www.infosectoday.com/"><img src="http://www.ittoday.info/images/InfoSecLogo_125px.jpg"border="0"align="top"></a> </center> <p style="font-size:.75em; text-align:left; vertical-align:center; color:black">This free newsetter offers strategies and insight to managers and hackers alike. <a href="http://www.infosectoday.com/">Become a new subscriber</a> today. <br> </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <center> <hr width="50%"> </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p style="font-size:1em; text-align:center; vertical-align:top; color:black;"> <b>Partners</b> <br> </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <center> <a href="http://www.productivitypress.com"target=blank><img border=0 hspace=0 align=center src="http://www.ittoday.info/images/Productivity_Press.jpg"> </a> <br> <br> <center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <center> <A href="http://www.guidedinsights.com"target=blank> <img src="http://www.ittoday.info/images/Guided.jpg"border="0"> </a> <center> <!-- <p><a href="http://www.guidedinsights.com"target="blank">Guided Insights</a> helps global project teams speed time to results through better collaboration across time zones, cultures and other boundaries. Special areas of focus are remote team leadership, facilitation skills, virtual team collaboration, project jumpstart workshops and design and facilitation of virtual meetings.</p> --> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <hr width="50%"> </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p style="font-size:1em; text-align:center; vertical-align:top; color:black;"> <b>Contact</b> </p> <p style="font-size:.75em; text-align:left; vertical-align:top; color:black; font-weight:normal;"> Interested in submitting an article?&nbsp;Want to comment about an article? <br> <br> Contact <a href="mailto:John.Wyzalek@TaylorandFrancis.com">John Wyzalek</a> editor of <b>IT Performance Improvement.</b> <br> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> <td width="1px"> <p style="font-size:.05em; text-align:center; vertical-align:top; color:black;">&nbsp;</p> </td> <td width="550"> <table border="0"> <tbody> <tr valign="top"> <!--March 2011--> <td> <h2>Policy: A Key Element in the Software Engineering Process</h2> <p style="font-size:1em; text-align:left; vertical-align:top; color:black; font-weight:bold;">Boyd L. Summers</p> <p class=text> A policy is the key element in the engineering process and there are organizational, software planning, and control procedures to support these key elements. The significant activities are defined in this chapter. To conduct a successful software development program, one should understand the scope of the work to be accomplished. </p> <h3> Policy Understanding </h3> <p class=text> A policy provides a mission statement of direction and guidance for software industries, Military and Aerospace programs. Policies are the highest level of authority and are consistent with the vision one should use to be successful. </p> <p class=text> I have seen in the past with many software companies, military and aerospace programs that policies are not reviewed, implemented, or even considered in the work place. Why? I stated in the first paragraph that a policy is a mission statement and should be used as a starting point for performing software development and supporting software engineering reviews and audits. </p> <p class=text> A very effective policy I like to review over and over is a policy for software quality. The software quality policy for states that we are the difference such as: </p> <ul class=text> <li>I am personally responsible and accountable for the quality of my work.</li> <li>I acquire/use the necessary tools and skills needed to meet quality requirements.</li> <li>I know my objectives (process improvement goals and producing metrics).</li> </ul> <p class=text> <b>Do what you say (i.e., compliance):</b> Follow all procedures and instructions that affect your work. </p> <p class=text> <b>You must say what you do (i.e., documentation):</b> Use current plans, procedures, and work instructions. </p> <p class=text> <b>Prove it (i.e., records):</b> Demonstrate your work in accordance with sound processes/procedures and provide objective evidence. </p> <p class=text> <b>Improve it (i.e., process management and continual improvement):</b> Implement change based on information and metrics. </p> <h3> Organization Level Policy </h3> <p class=text> I feel that process models and quality management provide the necessary means for software organizations to establish effective software engineering reviews and audits processes to be implemented supporting software development, modification, and/or software procurement programs. The extent of processes and quality software engineering reviews and audit process implementation is based on the software program or project activities being performed each day. Software Quality Assurance (SQA) is an organization that will always ask audit questions concerning software development in order to support software engineering reviews and audit processes, because that is what software quality is allowed to do. At times this organization can be an annoyance to system, software, and test teams because of the many questions asked including subcontractors or supplier management. </p> <p class=text> The Software Configuration Management (SCM) organization and software quality team work well together in software activities such as; audits, tracking of changes, software builds, loading of software in labs/sites, software suppliers audits, verification/validation of processes for compliance, and software product development. I have been on both sides, and both organizations make a very good team to ensure software organizations or programs are compliant to required software standards. </p> <p class=text> Software development activities are performed in accordance with defined, repeatable, managed, and optimized policies. The software quality disciplines and software configuration principals ensure that software development processes are using a company or program standard, which shows that cost parameters are established, documented, and maintained. The peer review methods utilize major software defects are addressed and prevent future occurrences. In many software industries, military and aerospace programs, software cost estimates are used for standard estimation tools based on historical data and expert estimation techniques. </p> <h3> Planning Process </h3> <p class=text> To ensure that software plans will succeed, you plan for software engineering review and audit implementation. The software industries, military and aerospace programs require reviews and audits are scheduled in the planning activity. To keep on course, allow members with quality experience and the knowledge of configuration management identify milestones inside the planning process. I have witnessed software plans completed and when it comes time to deliver to the customer, there were no specific or identified software engineering reviews and audits. What? No software engineering reviews and audits performed or scheduled in the software plan? How can the quality of deliverable software items under contract meet requirements, when there has been no verification, validation, reviews or audits performed? </p> <p class=text> Software organizations or programs not included in the process of effective software planning, fail. I have seen this before in years of working in the software environment. Software industries, military and aerospace programs need to ensure effective software planning processes are discussed prior to a presentation for acceptance and implementation. </p> <h3> Planning Procedures </h3> <p class=text> Software planning procedures are prepared early in software development cycles to consider important elements of software design, test, and deliveries to the customer. A software plan is critical to define the approach required to verify that all software items fulfill correct requirements and needs. How can you be successful if you do not have an effective and sound software plan in place? When it comes time to evaluate a software plan for starting the activity inside a program, the first question is, do you have a software plan prepared and accepted by senior management along with other employees or team members? </p> <p class=text> I have been in planning sessions and discussions when an employee or team member will present a software plan to senior management and other team members for approval. It is interesting when senior management along with the team members have not been made aware or seen the software plan being presented. That is not and I repeat not the way to kickoff a software plan. You must have software planning procedures created, developed, and approved by senior management before preparing and presenting the software plan. The responsibility for implementing and execution of the required planning procedures will ensure software plans to be successful. </p> <h3> Control Procedures </h3> <p class=text> To establish contract requirements and assign responsibilities to the software teams for implementation, software control procedures are developed to implement policies and meet legal, regulatory, contractual and, operational requirements. Product specifications, assembly instructions, product standards, product definition documentation, or other technical process instructions that are governed by separate and independent infrastructures are not included in software control procedures. I will document the technical software disciplines required in this book, but let s talk about the importance of having software control procedures in place. Without control procedures for software, how does a software organization meet identified contractual requirements? </p> <p class=text> If a software industry, military and aerospace program cannot meet contractual requirements, along with the assignment of responsibilities to ensure compliance to software policies, you are in major and I repeat major trouble. Ensure software control procedures are in place for development of effective software plans, sound software processes, and implementation of critical contractual requirements. &#9830; <br> <br> <b>Read more <a href="http://ittoday.info/ITPerformanceImprovement/index.htm"><i>IT Process Improvement</i></a></b> </p> <!--DISCLAIMER NOTICE AND COPYRIGHT--> <p class="copyright"> <br> <br> Certain names and logos on this page and others may constitute trademarks, servicemarks, or tradenames of <a HREF="http://www.crcpress.com"TARGET="_parent">Taylor & Francis LLC.</a> Copyright &#169; 2008&#151;2011 Taylor & Francis LLC. All rights reserved. </font> </p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> <td width="300"> <table> <tbody> <tr> <td> <table style="background-color:#E0E0D1;"cellpadding="10"margin="5"border="0"valign="top"> <tbody> <tr> <td colspan=2> <h3>Also by Boyd L. Summers</h3> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100"> <h3> <a href="http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781439851456?AF=WAUER"target="blank">Software Engineering Reviews and Audits</a> </h3> </td> <td> <center> <img src="http://www.ittoday.info/catalog/images/covers80w/K12356.jpg" Border=0> </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <p class="text"> This book offers authoritative guidance for conducting and performing software first article inspections, and functional and physical configuration software audits. It prepares readers to answer common questions for conducting and performing software reviews and audits, such as: What is required, who needs to participate, and how do we ensure success in all specified requirements in test and released configuration baselines? </p> <p class="text"> The author includes checklists, sample forms, and a glossary of industry terms and acronyms to help ensure formal audits are successful the first time around. The contents of the text will help you maintain a professional setting where software is developed for profit, increase service quality, generate cost reductions, and improve individual and team efforts. </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <h3>About the Author</h3> <p class="text"> <b>Boyd L. Summers</b> received a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Business Management from Weber State University in 1985. He has since received awards such as the Outstanding Support Award from NSA Aerospace Data Facility Y2K (2000), Outstanding recognition for successful CDR for Next Generation Trainer (2007), and an Accomplishment for Integrated Defense Systems final Design Review (2009). <br> <br> </p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </table> </body> </html>