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National Software Quality Experiment
Don O'Neill
Independent Consultant
(301) 990-0377
ONeillDon@aol.com
NATIONAL SOFTWARE QUALITY EXPERIMENT
A LESSON IN MEASUREMENT
1992-2002
Seminar
FEATURING
Experiment Motivation and OrganizationSoftware Inspections Mechanism
Experiment Results
Conclusion
BACKGROUND
The seminar on the National Software Quality Experiment provides participants with the insight and incentive needed to initiate an inspection-based measurement program in the organization and on the project. It provides the foundation to jump start your measurement program on the shoulders of uniform Inspection Lab procedures and industrial strength product checklists.
The seminar will help calibrate the software quality of your organization using core samples collected during the conduct of the National Software Quality Experiment. Dozens of organizations and thousands of participants have populated the experiment data base with thousands of defects of all types along with pertinent information needed to pinpoint their root causes. The National Software Quality Experiment results from 1992 provide the measured benchmark from which progress towards the national software quality goal can be assessed. This goal was set in 1992 as part of the DOD Software Technology Strategy and calls for industry to improve software quality by a factor of ten by the year 2000.
OBJECTIVE
The National Software Quality Experiment Seminar will help your organization:
1. To characterize the maturity of your software quality process
2. To establish goals for improving your software quality process
3. To set priorities for immediate action in your organization
4. To provide a vision for excellence in software products among your staff
5. To calibrate progress towards the national software quality goal
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
Experienced software practitioners and managers responsible for project performance, software product quality, software measurement, and software improvement.
DESCRIPTION
Prologue
The nation's prosperity is dependent on software. The nation's software industry is slipping, and it is slipping behind other countries. The National Software Quality Experiment is riveting attention on software product quality and revealing the patterns of neglect in the nation's software infrastructure.
Abstract
In 1992 the DOD Software Technology Strategy set the objective to reduce software problem rates by a factor of ten by the year 2000. The National Software Quality Experiment is being conducted to benchmark the state of software product quality and to measure progress towards the national objective.
The National Software Quality Experiment is a mechanism for obtaining core samples of software product quality. A micro-level national database of product quality is being populated by a continuous stream of samples from industry, government, and military services. This national database provides the means to benchmark and measure progress towards the national software quality objective and contains data from 1992 through 2002.
The centerpiece of the experiment is the Software Inspection Lab where data collection procedures, product checklists, and participant behaviors are packaged for operational project use. The uniform application of the experiment and the collection of consistent measurements are guaranteed through rigorous training of each participant. Thousands of participants from dozens of organizations are populating the experiment database with thousands of defects of all types along with pertinent information needed to pinpoint their root causes.
To fully understand the findings of the National Software Quality Experiment, the measurements taken in the lab and the derived metrics are organized along several dimensions including year, software process maturity level, organiztion type, product type , programming language, global region, and industry type. These dimensions provide a framework for populating an interesting set of analysis bins with appropriate core samples of software product quality.
PREREQUISITE
An understanding of the basic fundamentals of software engineering practice on the project
LENGTH
Half-day session
OUTLINE
Experiment Motivation and Organization
Selected Quotes
Experiment Purpose
Quality Characteristics
Motivation for the Experiment
Experimental Nature of Software
Advice on Establishing a National Database
Dr. Vic Basili Guidelines-University of Maryland
Some of the Questions Asked and Answered
Experiment Approach
Nature and Role of the Experiment
Separating Signal from Noise
Experiment Participants
Software Inspections Mechanism
Software Inspection Lab
Standard of Excellence
Standard of Excellence Themes
Key Principles of Software Inspections
Inspection Lab Operation
Forms and Reports
Defect Type Definitions
Database Field Definitions
Experiment Results
Defect Severity and Category
Inspection Lab Operations Summary
Software Inspections Control Panel
Defect Type Ranking
Defect Types
Defect Rates and Product Size
Common Problems
A Risk Management Application
Measurement Results by Analysis Bin
Annual Results: Year 1992-2001
Software Process Maturity
Organization Type
Product Type
Programming Language
Global Region
Return on Investment
Conclusion
Sponsoring the National Experiment
Field Measurement Lessons
Project Next Steps
Fast Forward
Instructor: Don O'NeillDon O’Neill is a seasoned software engineering manager and technologist currently serving as an independent consultant. Following his twenty-seven year career with IBM's Federal Systems Division, Mr. O’Neill completed a three year residency at Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineering Institute (SEI) under IBM's Technical Academic Career Program. There he developed a blueprint for charting software engineering evolution in the organization including the training architecture and change management strategy needed to transition skills into practice.
As an independent consultant, Mr. O'Neill conducts defined programs for managing strategic software improvement. These include implementing an organizational Software Inspections Process, directing the National Software Quality Experiment, implementing Software Risk Management on the project, conducting the Project Suite Key Process Area Defined Program, and conducting Global Software Competitiveness Assessments. Each of these programs includes the necessary practitioner and management training.
In his IBM career, Mr. O'Neill completed assignments in management, technical performance, and marketing in a broad range of applications including space systems, submarine systems, military command and control systems, communications systems, and management decision support systems. He was awarded IBM's Outstanding Contribution Award three times:
1. Software Development Manager for the Global Positioning (GPS) Ground Segment (500,000 source lines of code) and a team of 70 software engineers within a $150M fixed price program.
2. Manager of the FSD Software Engineering Department responsible for the origination of division software engineering strategies, the preparation of software management and engineering practices, and the coordination of these practices throughout the division’s software practitioners and managers.
3. Manager of Data Processing for the Trident Submarine Command and Control System Engineering and Integration Project responsible for architecture selections and software development planning (1.2M source lines of code).
Mr. O'Neill served on the Executive Board of the IEEE Software Engineering Technical Committee and as a Distinguished Visitor of the IEEE. He is a founding member of the Washington DC Software Process Improvement Network (SPIN) and the National Software Council (NSC) and serves as the Executive Vice President of the Center for National Software Studies (CNSS). He is an active speaker on software engineering topics and has served as the Program Chairman and Program Committee member for several conferences. He has numerous publications to his credit. Mr. O'Neill has a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
CONTACT
For questions on course content, schedule availability, and delivery options, please contact:
Don O'Neill, 9305 Kobe Way, Montgomery Village, Maryland 20886
Telephone: (301) 990-0377 Fax: (301) 670-0234
Email: ONeillDon@aol.com
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