Title: The Software Insight Tool: A Tool and Methodology for Risk Mitigation and CIO Assessments
Abstract: August 1999 Mitigating Risk and Improving a Program’s Health The SIT is a vehicle that will guide the user in identifying and addressing program strengths, weaknesses, and risk areas. The SIT will improve the health of any software-intensive program throughout its life cycle — from concept exploration through development and operational support — and reduce overall program risk and total ownership costs (TOC). The key to the successful development of any system is having a sound managerial approach and asking the right questions. Acquisition program managers (PMs) now have to juggle many statutory and regulatory requirements, as well as numerous technical, performance, and cost issues, coupled with decreasing personnel and financial resources (see Figure 1). The SIT focuses on the overall acquisition process, plans and practices, and how the acquirer and the developers structure and manage acquisition, development, and sustainment. The SIT will help PMs by providing essential insight into the health and risk of the software aspects of their program, and by providing a cost-effective risk mitigation approach across the entire set of acquisition concerns. In addition, the SIT will help the PM to prepare for the CIO assessments prior to major MS reviews. The Army CommunicationsElectronics Command (CECOM) Software Engineering Center (SEC) designed and developed the SIT, in support of the Army CIO and the Army implementation of the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996, to address the highest risk component of most modern system development programs — the software. The vehicle’s engine is a critical set of questions in the key areas associated with the acquisition, development, and support of any software-intensive program. The SIT is a practical approach for risk identification when used by a PM or a software integrated product team (IPT) for ongoing or periodic internal risk mitigation reviews or preparing for major program reviews, such as CIO assessments. Using the SIT can identify cost, schedule, and performance risk areas, e.g. why program costs are increasing, why schedules are slipping, and/or where performance and practices are weak. The results will yield a better managed, lower risk program and a product with a much greater probability of meeting the customer’s requirements within cost and on schedule.
Publication Year: 1999
Publication Date: 1999-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
Access and Citation
AI Researcher Chatbot
Get quick answers to your questions about the article from our AI researcher chatbot