Sponsor
This work is sponsored by the U.S. DoD. The Software Engineering Institute is a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the U.S. DoD.
Document Type
Report
Publication Date
1-2008
Abstract
Process Simulation Modeling (PSIM) can be used to evaluate issues related to process strategy, process improvement, technology and tool adoption, project management and control, and process design. It is a flexible tool and can aid in quantitatively testing ideas about how to configure a process or how to configure a software acquisition supply chain (consisting of contractors and sub-contractors) that would be too expensive or too risky to construct and evaluate in any other manner.
Recent developments in PSIM tools have drastically cut the costs of developing models to evaluate process issues. Moreover, new models and more systematic and repeatable methods have been developed for applying PSIM tools within organizations, enabling PSIM to provide greater business value. For example, new methods used to calibrate these models have reduced the amount of organizational and project-specific data required to achieve useful results. Competition in the software industry and the continuing pressure from low-cost economies is pressing companies to improve their efficiency and to find ways to optimize their development and quality assurance activities, both locally and globally. Furthermore, as companies improve their operations and establish metrics in order to achieve higher levels of the CMM IntegrationSM (CMMI®) framework, the data collected can facilitate the construction of quantitative models.
As a result of these forces and trends, organizations regard PSIM as an attractive tool that can provide significant business value. This report presents the goals, motivations, and benefits associated with the application of PSIM within an organization. Many specific examples are provided to show some of the different ways that PSIM has been implemented within industry and government organizations to provide high value. Typically, process simulation more than pays for itself when it is used to evaluate even one decision.
Rights
Copyright 2008 Carnegie Mellon University.
Software Engineering Measurement and Analysis Unlimited distribution subject to the copyright.
This work was created in the performance of Federal Government Contract Number FA8721-05-C-0003 with Carnegie Mellon University for the operation of the Software Engineering Institute, a federally funded research and development center. The Government of the United States has a royalty-free government-purpose license to use, duplicate, or disclose the work, in whole or in part and in any manner, and to have or permit others to do so, for government purposes pursuant to the copyright license under the clause at 252.227.7013.
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/42800
Citation Details
Raffo, David and Wakeland, Wayne, "Moving Up the CMMI Capability and Maturity Levels Using Simulation" (2008). TECHNICAL REPORT CMU/SEI-2008-TR-002 ESC-TR-2008-002