Release Planning Research Articles

Setting quality targets for coming releases with QUPER: an industrial case study

Quality requirements play a critical role in driving architectural design and are an important issue in software development. Therefore, quality requirements need to be considered, specified, and quantified early during system analysis and not later in the development phase in an ad-hoc fashion. This paper presents the quality performance model that estimates quality targets in relation to market expectations as a basis for the architecting of quality requirements. The purpose of the model is to provide concepts for qualitative reasoning of quality levels in the decision-making of setting actual targets of quality requirements for coming releases of the product. The quality performance model is evaluated at one case company, using a market-driven development approach, in the electronic payment-processing domain. The results show that the model is useful for supporting early decision-making in, e.g., release planning of quality requirements.

Software Next Release Planning Approach through Exact Optimization

Software Requirements phase has notable importance, since it is responsible for the definition of the system itself. Several customers indicate which functionalities they want to be present in the software. However, constraints, such as budget, make it impossible to implement all desired requirements at once. One activity in this context is the release planning. The selection of which requirements should be implemented to the next release is necessary. In literature, metaheuristics have been employed to solve this problem. The objective of this work is to propose the use of exact optimization techniques in the problem, with the advantage that the resolution through these techniques ensures the best solutions. The results in several experiments show the validity of such application, in comparison with the metaheuristics approach.

Quantitative release planning in extreme programming

Context Extreme Programming (XP) is one of the most popular agile software development methodologies. XP is defined as a consistent set of values and practices designed to work well together, but lacks practices for project management and especially for supporting the customer role. The customer representative is constantly under pressure and may experience difficulties in foreseeing the adequacy of a release plan. Objective To assist release planning in XP by structuring the planning problem and providing an optimization model that suggests a suitable release plan. Method We develop an optimization model that generates a release plan taking into account story size, business value, possible precedence relations, themes, and uncertainty in velocity prediction. The running-time feasibility is established through computational tests. In addition, we provide a practical heuristic approach to velocity estimation. Results Computational tests show that problems with up to six themes and 50 stories can be solved exactly. An example provides insight into uncertainties affecting velocity, and indicates that the model can be applied in practice. Conclusion An optimization model can be used in practice to enable the customer representative to take more informed decisions faster. This can help adopting XP in projects where plan-driven approaches have traditionally been used.

MOMS Plus: A Public Health Program for Substance Using Pregnant Inmates in an Urban Jail

MOMS Plus is a public health case management program offered to substance abusing pregnant women, including those incarcerated in jail. Improved pregnancy outcomes, substance abuse treatment, and diminished recidivism are the goals of service delivery. The program encourages prenatal care and substance abuse treatment and reduces Child Protective Services involvement for women enrolled. Elements of the program may be adopted by other correctional programs to improve outcomes for pregnant inmates and improve their capacity to complete substance abuse treatment and to parent. Unique elements of the service model are discussed. Recommendations are made for including program elements in jail release planning, as well as possibilities for future research.

Risk Factors for Nonfatal Overdose at Seattle-Area Syringe Exchanges

Opioid-involved overdose deaths are on the rise, both nationwide and in the state of Washington. In a survey of 443 participants at syringe exchanges in Seattle, Washington, 16% had overdosed in the last year. Several factors were significantly associated in bivariate analysis: lack of permanent housing; incarceration of five or more days in the past year; gender of sex partners; sharing of syringes and other injection paraphernalia; use of speedballs (cocaine and heroin together), goofballs (methamphetamine and heroin together), buprenorphine; injection use of crack cocaine and sedatives; and use of opioids with sedatives. Adjusting for other variables in multivariate logistic regression analyses, only recent incarceration and sharing of injection materials were still significantly associated with overdose. Correctional facilities, syringe exchange programs, and other agencies serving opioid injectors should include overdose prevention components in release planning and services.

Comparison and Investigation of Re-planning Methods for Software Releases

Release planning involves decision making on assigning features to sequence releases in incremental software development. Having a good plan for new release can improve the future of software. There are several release planning methods and approaches for release planning and some of them are based on modification and changing the delivered releases or re-planning of the product. It means based on old releases and features utilized in them, new releases are generated and companies start to re-plan for improving their old product. In this paper, we are going to investigate release planning methods that are based on re-planning for a new release. We evaluated and investigated two release planning methods, PARSEQ and Lightweight, and compared the processing models that are based on re-planning.

Production planning with load-dependent lead times and safety stocks for a single product

Queuing models have demonstrated the nonlinear relationship between resource utilisation, which is determined by production planning decisions, and lead times. Both production planning decisions and safety stock levels are driven by lead times, and are thus tightly interrelated. However, production planning and safety stock calculations have generally been carried out separately. We propose a production planning model for a single–stage single–product system that integrates release planning and safety stock considerations. Concave clearing functions are used to capture the nonlinear relationship between resource utilisation and lead times, while chance constraints represent the need to plan inventories to achieve desired service levels. Extensive computational experiments indicate that the proposed model provides an excellent tradeoff between customer service and inventory costs.

Extending Extreme Programming User Stories to Meet ISO 9001 Formality Requirements

For software organizations needing ISO 9001 certification, including those that have adopted agile methodologies, it is important that their software life cycle processes be able to manage the requirements imposed by this certification standard. However, the user stories in the XP agile methodology do not provide auditors with enough evidence that certain steps and activities have been performed in compliance with ISO 9001. This paper proposes an extension to the user story, based on four sub processes related to the CMMI-DEV model: 1) identification of the source of the user story; 2) categorization of the non functional requirements; 3) identification of the user story relationships; and 4) prioritization of the user stories. These sub processes are aligned with the XP release planning phase, and enhance the ability of user stories to accumulate the information that is mandatory for achieving ISO 9001 certification.

Assisting and Supporting Women Released from Prison: Is Mentoring the Answer?

Mentoring is widely regarded as a positive form of post-prison support for women. Yet our data from a Victorian study of mentoring reveal that many women drop out early in the mentoring experience: many prior even to meeting their mentor in prison and as many as half directly upon release. This article therefore considers the question of the suitability of mentoring. It asks why mentoring seems ‘right’ for some women and not others and reports the characteristics and opinions of women for whom mentoring was a good option. Finally, it considers the contemporary environment of post-release support and programming, observing the increasing fragmentation of support services for women amid continuing efforts by state agencies to control the form and approach of post-prison service delivery. It concludes with suggestions for how a supportive post-prison environment, so important to mentoring, might be integrated into release planning.

Integrated lot sizing and dispatching in wafer fabrication

In this article, we investigate the integration of lot sizing and dispatch-related decisions for a wafer fabrication (hereafter referred to as wafer fab) facility. These decisions pertain to the operational planning and shop floor control (SFC) levels of its decision hierarchy. Our objective is to minimise output variability, which is an important and challenging issue for wafer fabrication due to the inherent dynamics and complexity of the operations involved. We propose a detailed lot-sizing model (called dynamic lot release planning (DynaLRP)) that captures wafer movement at each step of the process flow and prescribes a processing quota at these steps as well. We then design a dispatching rule called Largest-Remaining-Quota-First (LRQ) rule to drive wafer movement towards the direction prescribed by the lot-sizing model. A closed-loop control is formed by feeding the shop floor status back to the lot-sizing model and updating processing quota for each processing step on a regular basis. We have tested the effectiveness of our methodology in the simulated environment of a real-life wafer fab, and the results show that our methodology is effective in improving the wafer fab's performance while reducing output variability.

An integrated approach for requirement selection and scheduling in software release planning

It is essential for product software companies to decide which requirements should be included in the next release and to make an appropriate time plan of the development project. Compared to the extensive research done on requirement selection, very little research has been performed on time scheduling. In this paper, we introduce two integer linear programming models that integrate time scheduling into software release planning. Given the resource and precedence constraints, our first model provides a schedule for developing the requirements such that the project duration is minimized. Our second model combines requirement selection and scheduling, so that it not only maximizes revenues but also simultaneously calculates an on-time-delivery project schedule. Since requirement dependencies are essential for scheduling the development process, we present a more detailed analysis of these dependencies. Furthermore, we present two mechanisms that facilitate dynamic adaptation for over-estimation or under-estimation of revenues or processing time, one of which includes the Scrum methodology. Finally, several simulations based on real-life data are performed. The results of these simulations indicate that requirement dependency can significantly influence the requirement selection and the corresponding project plan. Moreover, the model for combined requirement selection and scheduling outperforms the sequential selection and scheduling approach in terms of efficiency and on-time delivery.

P‐59: Release Planning for Color Filter Fabs Based on Iterative Simulation

AbstractThis research proposed lot release policies for color filter fabs based on iterative simulation. Heuristic lot release plan was first developed and used as the input of an AutoMod simulation model to generate the expected performance that was used to improve the release plan and then iteratively simulated.

When-to-release decisions for features with time-dependent value functions

Release planning is of key importance for incremental software product development. With the increasing size and complexity of software products, as well as with the growing demands for transparency and objectivity of decision-making, intuition alone is no longer sufficient for release planning. EVOLVE+ is a systematic method for release planning, which combines the strengths of formalization and computational efficiency with the expertise of the human experts. From a given set of candidate features, the most attractive ones are selected and assigned to a sequence of releases. In this paper, we consider three extensions to the current systematic planning approach EVOLVE+: (a) value functions describing the estimated value of the feature are continuous functions of time, (b) the actual release dates are no longer fixed but can be varied in some pre-defined interval. As a consequence, the available resource capacities are also functions of time. (c) Calculation of trade-off solutions balancing the risk with the potential additional value of early release. All three extensions substantially increase the complexity of the release planning problem. We have developed a solution method using genetic algorithms that is able to accommodate the additional complexity of the advanced model. A hypothetical case study is conducted as a proof-of-concept for the applicability of the method. The applicability of the method is demonstrated by analyzing six detailed planning scenarios.

The virtues of frugality — why cosmological observers should release their data slowly

Abstract Cosmologists will soon be in a unique position. Observational noise will gradually be replaced by cosmic variance as the dominant source of uncertainty in an increasing number of observations. We reflect on the ramifications for the discovery and verification of new models. If there are features in the full data set that call for a new model, there will be no subsequent observations to test that model's predictions. We give specific examples of the problem by discussing the pitfalls of model discovery by prior adjustment in the context of dark energy models and inflationary theories. We show how the gradual release of data can mitigate this difficulty, allowing anomalies to be identified and new models to be proposed and tested. We advocate that observers plan for the frugal release of data from future cosmic-variance-limited observations.

Two machine-learning techniques for mining solutions of the ReleasePlanner™ decision support system

Decision support systems (DSSs) perform complex computations to provide suggestions regarding decision-making and problem solving. Quite often, the DSS solutions are not fully accepted by users because DSSs work as a black box so that the users cannot fully understand where the results came from and how they were derived. Explanations of the generated DSSs solutions are expected to mitigate this situation.In this paper, two machine-learning techniques, called rough set analysis (RSA) and dependency network analysis (DNA), are proposed for mining DSS solutions. The mining results are provided to the users as explanations for those solutions. Two parts of research results are described. First, a framework applying RSA and DNA for generating explanations for DSS solutions is presented. This framework is generic and applicable to many other DSSs. Second, as a proof-of-concept, the applications of RSA and DNA techniques are demonstrated through a case study of mining patterns from input-output pairs of ReleasePlanner™, a specific DSS for product release planning. Our evaluation indicates that the explanations generated by RSA and DNA improve the overall user acceptance of results provided by this specific DSS.

Studying the impact of uncertainty in operational release planning – An integrated method and its initial evaluation

Context Uncertainty is an unavoidable issue in software engineering and an important area of investigation. This paper studies the impact of uncertainty on total duration (i.e., make-span) for implementing all features in operational release planning. Objective The uncertainty factors under investigation are: (1) the number of new features arriving during release construction, (2) the estimated effort needed to implement features, (3) the availability of developers, and (4) the productivity of developers. Method An integrated method is presented combining Monte-Carlo simulation (to model uncertainty in the operational release planning (ORP) process) with process simulation (to model the ORP process steps and their dependencies as well as an associated optimization heuristic representing an organization-specific staffing policy for make-span minimization). The method allows for evaluating the impact of uncertainty on make-span. The impact of uncertainty factors both in isolation and in combination are studied in three different pessimism levels through comparison with a baseline plan. Initial evaluation of the method is done by an explorative case study at Chartwell Technology Inc. to demonstrate its applicability and its usefulness. Results The impact of uncertainty on release make-span increases – both in terms of magnitude and variance – with an increase of pessimism level as well as with an increase of the number of uncertainty factors. Among the four uncertainty factors, we found that the strongest impact stems from the number of new features arriving during release construction. We have also demonstrated that for any combination of uncertainty factors their combined (i.e., simultaneous) impact is bigger than the addition of their individual impacts. Conclusion The added value of the presented method is that managers are able to study the impact of uncertainty on existing (i.e., baseline) operational release plans pro-actively.

의존과 관점 기반 임베디드 시스템의 요구사항 우선순위 프로세스

임베디드 시스템을 위한 릴리스 플랜 수립은 제품 개발 초기 요구사항 분석 단계에서 요구사항의 우선순위 결정을 통해 달성되므로 우선순위 결정은 매우 중요하다. 이때, 우선순위 활동에서는 요구사항간 의존관계와 제품 개발에 관여하는 관점들을 고려해야 한다. 특히 임베디드 시스템에서 하드웨어와 소프트웨어의 특징에 기반한 아키텍처 스타일에 따른 요구사항간 상충관계는 반드시 반영해야 한다. 그러나, 기존 연구에는 하드웨어 및 소프트웨어로 구성된 시스템에 대한 요구사항을 고려하는 우선순위 선정 프로세스가 체계적이지 못하다. 따라서, 본 논문에서는 임베디드 시스템을 위한 요구사항간 의존관계, 관점에 기반한 요구사항 우선순위의 모델과 프로세스를 제안한다. 이를 위해 아키텍처 스타일에 따른 우선순위 요소 또는 요구사항간 상충관계를 분석하고, 임베디드 시스템 제품 개발에 관여하는 관점들을 식별하여 요구사항 우선순위를 정립한다. 그리고 제안된 방법을 핸드폰 개발 사례의 요구사항 우선순위에 적용하여 신뢰성을 보인다. 본 논문의 기법을 적용하여 임베디드 시스템의 특성에 부합하도록 요구사항을 좀 더 명확하게 최적화하여 우선순위화함으로써 제품 릴리스에 대한 위험성을 최소화할 수 있다. Setting up a priorityfor an embedded system is greatly significant because a release plan at the early stage of product developments can properly be established through right decision making procedures based on the priorities. For instance, both dependencies among requirements and the aspects of product developers should be considered into the priorities to improve the embedded system. Especially, trade-offs among the requirements, which are quite different depending on H/W and S/W architecture styles they use, should be acknowledged without exception. However, the selection process on the priority has hitherto been fairly systematic in the existing environment where hardware and software are not being considered at once. Therefore, this paper suggests an dependency and aspect-based model and process for the requirements of the priority. For this, the paper analyzes the trade-offs between the requirements depending on the disparate Architecture styles of H/W and S/W, and it also reflects the viewpoints of the developers. For thelast thing, the model and process suggested will be applied to the case of the development of both cell phones and cameras to gain authenticity and reliability. In conclusion, the danger occurring when the release plan is constructed can be minimized by screening the priorities that optimizes the embedded system more explicitly.

Providing mental health services to adult offenders in Victoria, Australia: Overcoming barriers

PurposeTo illustrate the development of the interface between general and forensic mental health services in Victoria, Australia. MethodDeveloping effective cooperation between the general and forensic mental health services requires overcoming a number of barriers. The attitude of general services that antisocial behaviour was none of their business was tackled through ongoing workshops and education days over several years. The resistance to providing care to those disabled by severe personality disorders or substance abuse was reduced by presenting and promoting models of care developed in forensic community and inpatient services which prioritised these areas. The reluctance of general services to accept offenders was reduced by involving general services in court liaison clinics and in prisoner release plans. Cooperation was enhanced by the provision of risk assessments, the sharing of responsibility for troublesome patients, and a problem behaviours clinic to support general services in coping with stalkers, sex offenders and threateners. ConclusionsActive engagement with general services was promoted at the level of providing education, specialised assessments and a referral source for difficult patients. This generated a positive interface between forensic and general mental health services, which improved the quality of care delivered to mentally abnormal offenders.

From the “Streets” To “Normal Life”: Assessing the Role of Social Support in Release Planning for HIV-Positive and Substance-Involved Prisoners

In 2005, there were 20,888 prisoners in the U.S. prisons known to be HIV-positive, many substance-involved. The high reincarceration rate of substance-involved prisoners, coupled with the fact that substance-involved prisoners are more prone to HIV-risk behaviors in the community, necessitates attention to preventing substance use and HIV transmission risk behaviors of prisoners upon reentry to communities. We use a social support framework to explore the role of social support in HIV+ prisoners' expectations of release and postrelease plans. Interview data from 23 participants were collected from August 2005 to January 2006. Participants reported concerns about their ability to access needed formal and informal prosocial support upon release. Implications of these findings for release planning are discussed.

The TEIViewer: Facilitating the transition from XML to web display

This article addresses the need for TEI display tools. In order to illustrate the need for display tools, we begin with a brief review of the tools that are currently available, summarizing in particular those listed on the TEI Wiki Tools page. We then turn to a discussion of our work on the development of the TEIViewer (http://teiviewer.org), a simple, JavaScript-driven, portable display tool designed to facilitate the online representation of and interaction with elements and attributes described within select modules of the TEI P5 Guidelines and encoded as layers of data and metadata in TEI-XML documents. We explain how the TEIViewer works by describing the interactions between the XML source layer, the display layer generated via XSL, and the interactive layer powered by jQuery and CSS; and we explain why we chose the jQuery JavaScript library to manage the Viewer's functionality as well as the advantages of this decision. Finally we describe current implementations and plans for release.