Systems Engineering for Software Productivity

Abstract

The crisis in software productivity is well documented. Fundamentally, it has occurred as a consequence of the rising demand for enhanced capabilities through information technology. This results in the need for new and larger software systems and significant advances in hardware. Software engineering generally has given attention to the development of microlevel tools to address the growing needs to increase software productivity. A systems engineering approach to increasing software productivity is outlined. The need is cited for knowledge support systems used in conjunction with various library modules containing access to microenhancement tools: high level languages, very high level languages, compilers and automatic program generators, and macroenhancement tools. The need for macroproductivity tools such as rapid prototyping, reusability constructs, and an interactive support system environment that involves the systems engineer, the user, and the software engineer are discussed. A study of microenhancement approaches for the various phases of a typical life cycle for software acquisition is given. The most widely used microen-hancement approaches are also documented and, through this typical software acquisition cycle, the need for a taxonomy of methods to make productivity tools generally available and subject to greater use is established. This is followed by a discussion of macroenhancement approaches to software productivity.