Production Software That Works (eBook)

Front Cover 
1 
Production Software That Works: A Guide to Concurrent Development of Realtime Manufacturing Systems 4
Copyright Page 5
Table of Contents 8
Dedication 6
Acknowledgments 6
Foreword 12
Preface 16
Part I: A Management Perspective on Realtime Software 22
Chapter 1. What Is "Realtime Software"? 24
Operating Systems 25
Who Should Choose the Operating System? 26
Chapter 2. Architecture — The Critical Need 29
The Historical Perspective 30
The Legacy 31
Partitioning the System 33
How to Recognize an Architect 34
Homegrown Software 35
Chapter 3. Concurrent Engineering and Software Development 37
Removing the Barriers 37
The Benefits 38
Concurrency in Software Development 40
Chapter 4. Quality 41
The Quality Advantage 41
Quality Is a Management Issue 42
Valuing the Work 43
Designing for Quality 45
Chapter 5. Establishing System Requirements 47
Exploring Different Perspectives 47
Modularity 52
Chapter 6. Management Commitment 54
Staying Involved 55
Feedback 56
Part II: Preparing and Managing the Software Development Process 58
Chapter 7. Understanding the User Environment 60
Exploring the Territory 61
Information Requirements 63
The Political Environment 64
Learning to Identify Problem Plants 65
Learning from Experience 67
Chapter 8. Developing the Project Organization and Plan 68
Choosing a Project Manager 68
Organizing the Team 70
Successful Team Rules 73
The Importance of Management Participation 73
Proposal and Project Plan 74
Choosing a Planning System 76
Scheduling the Project 77
Monitoring the Schedule 80
Formal Reviews 80
The Team Role in Problem Solving 82
The Role of Vendors and Vendor Selection 83
Criteria for Choosing a Vendor 84
Chapter 9. Developing a Requirements Document 86
The Requirements Specification Document 87
The Impact of Business Goals on System Requirements 88
Partitioning the Problem 89
Adapting the Core Functions 90
Anticipating Change 91
Chapter 10. Controller Analysis and Functional Specifications 92
Controller Specifications 94
Controller Analysis 95
Chapter 11. Developing Contracts and Work Statements 97
The Importance of Contracts 97
Work Statements 100
Types of Contracts 100
Specifying Deliverables and Acceptance Criteria 103
Changing the Scope of the Project 104
Conflict Resolution 105
Warranty 106
Contract or Work Statement Outline 107
Project Development and Acceptance Test Plan 108
Chapter 12. Managing Relationships 111
Setting Expectations 111
Compatibility 112
Managing Problems 112
Getting More Out of Meetings 114
Addressing Conflicts 115
Valuing Differences 116
The Single Dissenter 118
Part III: Design Methodologies 120
Chapter 13. System Architecture 122
Using Architecture to Structure the System 122
Partitioning the System 124
Sizing the Computer System to Meet Requirements 125
Organizing the Logic 126
The Effect of Organization Policy on System Design 128
The Characteristics of a Good Architect 129
Justifying the Use of an Architect 130
Chapter 14. Concurrent Software Development 132
Mirror Imaging 133
Reflecting the Business Model in Technical Terms 133
The Emerging Concept 134
Creating Software Modules from Functions 136
Basic Elements of a Realtime System 137
Starting the Emulation Process 144
Circles, Shells, and Stubs 145
How Circles Boost Software Ouality 149
The Benefits 151
Rapid Prototype 152
Chapter 15. Platforms and Common Development Tools 156
Software Standards 157
Off-the-Shelf Software 158
The Importance of Common Tools 161
Chapter 16. Documentation 165
Requirements Document 166
Controller Specifications Document 167
Creating a Top Level Design Document 169
Detailed Design Document 179
System User Manual 180
Chapter 17. Getting to Project Closure 183
Team Anxiety and Last Minute Problems 183
Defining Goodness and Doneness 184
Phasing Out Resources 184
Casting Deliverables in Concrete 185
Reaching Agreement 186
Incentives 187
Recovering from Derailment 187
Chapter 18. Project Cost Overruns 190
Estimating Project Costs 190
Performance Impacts Cost 191
The Cost of New Technology 193
Crawl, Walk, Run 193
Functionality Creep 194
Establish Thresholds 195
Contracts 196
Cost Control Responsibility 196
Subcontracting Helps Keep Project on Track 197
Staying on Schedule 197
Managing Change 198
Chapter 19. The Post-Project Analysis 199
Building on Experience 199
Finding the Right Person for the Job 201
The Interviews 202
Management and Financial Analysis 204
Project Conclusion and Reports 205
Appendix: Example Project 207
Project Description and Business Problem 207
The Needs 207
The Requirements 207
Partnering 208
Rapid Prototyping 208
Team Development 208
Customer User First 208
The Ultimate Phase I Test 208
Methodology 209
Development Environment 209
Project Kick-off 210
Schedule 210
Evolution of Phase I (Prototype) Architecture 210
System Performance Budget 211
Circles 212
Result sof Phase I 214
System Performance (Actual vs.Budget) 214
Production System Plan and Design 215
Production System Architecture 215
System Completion and Conclusion 216
Bibliography 218
Index 220