Software Engineering Commons^™

An Analysis Of The Root Causes Of Delays And Deficiencies In The Development Of Embedded Software For Air Force Weapon Systems, Jay R. Hopkins, Curtis De Keyrel

Theses and Dissertations

The importance of embedded software, used in every subsystem of ah major weapon systems used by the United States Air Force, has increased drastically over the last decades. However, in spite of the regulations currently in existence, developing and acquiring software which meets the user requirements within the original cost and schedule estimates continues to be difficult. At the same time, the Air Force has pushed to improve the development process with the Total Quality Management TQM program. The primary method used to improve the process has been to create metrics, collect data on these metrics, and then perform a …

Award Fee In Software Acquisition, Mark T. Hunter

Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this research effort was to determine, in general terms, what contractual tools are available to influence contractor performance during the software development process and, specifically, whether or not award fee contracts are appropriate tools. First, a qualitative, in depth literature review was done. Next, personal interviews were conducted with Program Directors and Deputy Program Directors at Aeronautical Systems Center, Electronic Systems Center, and Space and Missiles Systems Center. Then, after the results were summarized, the data was analyzed and findings were made. Findings include: award fee was found to be the most flexible provision in the FAR …

The Application Of Function Points To Predict Source Lines Of Code For Software Development, Garland S. Henderson

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigated the results of using function point analysis-based estimates to predict source lines of code (SLOC) for software development projects. The majority of software cost and effort estimating parametric tools are categorized as SLOC-based, meaning SLOC is the primary input. Early in a program, an accurate estimate of SLOC is difficult to project. Function points, another parametric software estimating tool, bases software cost and effort estimates on the functionality of a system. This functionality is described by documents available early in a program. Using a modeling methodology, the research focuses on function point's ability to accurately estimate SLOC …

Investigative Search Of Quality Historical Software Support Cost Data And Software Support Cost-Related Data, Brent L. Barber

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to determine what software support cost data and software support cost-related data should and can be collected by the Air Force. In addition, the study was to determine how the subject data should be collected. The collection of this data is necessary in order to measure the accuracy and calibration requirements of the software support cost models used by the Air Force. The study found there was no standard set of data items, and no standard procedures in place for the collection of this data. In most cases data were available or easily accessible, …

Possible Application Of Quality Function Deployment In Software Systems Development In The United States Air Force, Craig R. Lamb

Theses and Dissertations

The objectives of the thesis were to determine whether the methods of Quality Function Deployment (QFD) could be used in the software development environment within the USAF, and whether or not this area should be researched further. The research was limited to the requirements analysis and definition phase. The different areas of study included a brief review of the structured analysis methodology, a detailed review of the QFD models currently being used in the product industries, a review of how QFD fits into the software development cycle, and specific software modifications to the QFD methodology. A review of some applications …

Reuse And Productivity In Integrated Computer-Aided Software Engineering: An Empirical Study, Rajiv D. Banker, Robert J. Kauffman

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Growing competition in the investment banking industry has given rise to increasing demand for high functionality software applications that can be developed in a short period of time. Yet delivering such applications creates a bottleneck in software development activities. This dilemma can be addressed when firms shift to development methods that emphasize software reusability. This article examines the productivity implications of object and repository-based integrated computer-aided software engineering (ICASE) software development in the context of a major investment bank's information systems strategy. The strategy emphasizes software reusability. Our empirical results, based on data from 20 projects that delivered software for …

Cost-Benefit Analysis Of Computer Systems In Community Hospital Food Service, Beverly Kittle

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Cost containment has always been a major concern to managers. Therefore, any system which decreases costs by reducing labor time is given serious evaluation.

A five week comparison was made between financial record keeping by the manual method and by the computerized method. A continuous time study was utilized to make this comparison.

Over the five weeks, an average overall time savings of 245 minutes for the computerized versus the manual method was observed. The net savings to the institution was 223 minutes per week which translates to approximately $140.00 per month over a 5 year period.

The rapid payback …