Software Tools for Supporting Project Management

Abstract

Abstract For the successful and efficient realisation of a new version of an operating system, procedures and tools must be employed. Such a project is characterized by the large number of functions, programs, interfaces, cross references, and dependencies with earlier versions. For instance, they can reach a magnitude of up to 500, 000 modified or new statements. Without such tools it would not be possible to develop and release to the customer new operating system versions with the required high quality at acceptable time intervals. For most of the tasks concerned, procedures and tools have been in use for years. They serve to relieve the project manager of routine work, enhance the quality of the products and production processes, and are suited to all project types (new development, maintenance, redesign, etc.). Their basic structure is derived from the specific requirements of operating systems: - -Tools and procedures for managing operating system versions. - Tools and procedures for managing component groups or subsystems constituting a new operating system version (see Table 1) A central department is in charge of the development and maintenance of those tools. A control center for handling customer service as well as for the administration of data has been established. This report presents the experience gained in the use of these procedures and tools. The focal point is PULS, a sys|tem for contolling the development and maintenance of our operating system.Finallv, new trends emerging in this area are described. An example is given showing how expert systemtechniques may help in solving project management problems.