CONTACTS 

SUBJECTS
Personnel, Training, Management Skills
Computers, Software, Testing
Usability Engineering
Tools to Support Writing Software
TQM; Risk Management
Correlation to accepted practice and
Project Management, Methods, Procedures
Engineering Management in IT is Poor
Documentation Avoided, Causes Delay, Extra Cost
Architecture Makes Sense Contemporaneous Engineering Record with Code
Diary Journal Record of Events
Contemporaneous Documentation Software Engineer's Journal
Contemporaneous Documentation Required Similar Daily Journal Diary En
Diary Records Aid Creativity Hunches Incite by Showing Patterns, SDS

2316 -
2316 -    ..
2317 - Summary/Objective
2318 -
231801 - Follow up ref SDS 20 0000.
231802 -
231803 - An article in Byte magazine Dec 95 on page 49 explains industry
231804 - standards for writing and testing software for errors, but not
231805 - usefulness.
231807 -  ..
231808 - The article explains PM and TQM practices for writing software so it
231809 - is more reliable, i.e., higher quality engineering. "Risk" is not
231810 - mentioned in the article, but there is a lot of discussion about
231811 - conditions that cause projects to exceed cost, time and quality
231812 - objectives, similar to the PMJ article at ref SDS 28 0000.
231813 -
231814 -
231816 -  ..
2319 -
2320 -
2321 - Analysis
2322 -
232201 - "Risk" Definition - Technical and Communication Complexity
232202 - ----------------------------------------------------------
232203 - The article compliments the PMJ article on Risk Management by citing
232204 - technical "complexity" ref OF 7 7561, and the number of people that
232205 - require communication as major cause of project failures, i.e., risk.
232206 - ref SDS 28 7448
232208 -      ..
232209 -     Frequency and Form of Communication
232210 -
232211 -     The need for Communication Metrics is greatest in settings that
232212 -     entail a lot of interpersonal communication to guide the work,
232213 -     such as phone calls, meetings, discussions, memos, email, because
232214 -     the risk of misinterpretation, commingling understandings from
232215 -     different communications, oversight, and conflicts with laws,
232216 -     requlations, company policies/procedures, and project requirements
232217 -     greatly escalates.
232219 -      ..
232220 -     This concept was discussed with Morris on 890809. ref SDS 2 6047
232221 -
232222 -
232224 -  ..
232225 - Management and Communications Biggest Risks of Complexity
232226 -
232227 - Management is the most important factor in the quality of software.
232228 - ref OF 7 3800
232229 -
232230 - Keep the number of programmers and management people to a minimum to
232231 - limit coordination and learning curves. ref OF 7 05X2
232232 -
232233 -     The other solution is to provide a tool like SDS that can manage
232234 -     communications more effectively.
232235 -
232236 -
232237 -
232238 -
232239 -
2323 -

SUBJECTS
Contemporaneous Documentation Published Standards Good Management Te

3703 -
370401 -  ..
370402 - Standards Good Management Ignored Organizational Memory Documentation
370403 - Contemporaneous Documentation Published Standards Good Management
370404 - Testing & Documentation Reduce Errors, Improve Productivity
370405 -
370406 - Byte article recommends continuous testing, ref OF 7 0984, and
370407 - ref OF 7 0187, and contemperaneous documentation of what is done,
370408 - problems encountered and solutions. ref OF 7 0782  Engineers resist
370409 - writing up work history, ref OF 7 6833, that implements ISO
370410 - requirements for traceability to original sources, and continual
370411 - learning, reviewed in the record on 950721. ref SDS 26 1740
370412 -
370413 -     [On 011102 case study traditional information management using
370414 -     diary and journal methods write understandings of daily work,
370415 -     e.g., captain's ship log, airplane flight test reports, project
370416 -     manager daily diary, scientific method contemporaneous record
370417 -     reporting on experiments, surveyor's journal. ref SDS 39 TO5J
370419 -      ..
370420 -     [On 021118 "documentation," capturing the record, alignment,
370421 -     writing things down, and linking things up in SDS augments innate
370422 -     intelligence processes called "reality monitoring" i cognitive
370423 -     science that cross-checks accuracy of perceptions against original
370424 -     sources to avoid mistakes. ref SDS 42 QS8H
370426 -  ..
370427 - On 950428 professional seminar reports that technology projects are
370428 - poorly managed. ref SDS 24 7007 and productivity is declining.
370429 - ref SDS 24 3921
370431 -  ..
370432 - Communication Metrics helps solve the problem by using SDS to apply
370433 - good management practice consistently, listed on 930726. ref SDS 12
370434 - 6883  "Contemperaneous documentation" is supported with the daily
370435 - diary/journal which Covey recommends for sharpening understanding by
370436 - capturing organizational memory, reported on 921205. ref SDS 9 2229
370437 - Earlier on 910111 engineers keep a survey journal. ref SDS 5 HU8N
370438 - Captain keeps Ship's Log that is a journal of daily activity.
370439 - Contractor's keep a daily diary of construction work.
370440 -
370441 -     [On 961017 Corps of Engineers uses surveyor's journal. ref SDS 29
370442 -     2863
370444 -      ..
370445 -     [On 980307 Andy Grove, CEO Intel, says copious notes remove
370446 -     ambiguity of mental maps. ref SDS 32 3668]
370448 -      ..
370449 -     [On 990525 engineers don't like to write and management does not
370450 -     plan enough time for documentation. ref SDS 33 0966
370452 -      ..
370453 -     [On 990625 medical practice requires documentation for
370454 -     communication. ref SDS 34 0806]
370456 -      ..
370457 -     [On 000424 example need for good records on DKR project.
370458 -     ref SDS 35 0786
370460 -      ..
370461 -     [On 000517 example of benefits keeping good records in software
370462 -     engineering. ref SDS 36 2064
370464 -      ..
370465 -     [On 001017 report engineering management is keeping up with code
370466 -     so the architecture makes sense. ref SDS 37 IO6J
370468 -      ..
370469 -     [On 001101 article on open source projects explains software
370470 -     development is extended because sound management practices for
370471 -     contemporaneous documentation are not followed. ref SDS 38 MX6H
370473 -      ..
370474 -     [On 011222 documentation not begun until project nearly complete,
370475 -     exists in permanent state of near disaster. ref SDS 40 E77G
370477 -      ..
370478 -     [On 020504 study shows professional standards for communication
370479 -     practices and requirements on good management specified in FAR,
370480 -     ISO, Health Care, Covey, Drucker, law, contract notice provisions,
370481 -     and 2,000 years of literacy for contemporaneous documentation for
370482 -     alignment and feedback to work intelligently, quickly, and
370483 -     accurately are ignored in government, business, health care, every
370484 -     sector. ref SDS 41 NS6F
370486 -      ..
370487 -     [On 041213 Edison credited with practice of contemporaneous
370488 -     documentaton work history scientific method capturing record work
370489 -     history for organizational memory. ref SDS 43 DK4N
370491 -      ..
370492 -     [On 051130 Leonardo da Vinci credited for contemporaneous notes to
370493 -     support creativity, invention, and development of new tools and
370494 -     systems. ref SDS 44 PR4F  AIA Architect recommends diligence
370495 -     exercising the habit of documentation is critical to design and
370496 -     project management. ref SDS 44 G46F
370498 -      ..
370499 -     [On 080206 engineers like to work by conversation, and avoid
370500 -     writing up the record to save time and money. ref SDS 45 RR67
370501 -
370503 -  ..
370504 - Scope Creep Ruins Product Nobody Understands Collection of Modules
370505 -
370506 - Another concern is scope creep, called in software design
370507 - proliferation of features. ref OF 7 GF6G
370508 -
370509 -        The easiest way to ruin a program is to add a whole series of
370510 -        features to it without enough time to integrate them properly.
370511 -        Under heavy time pressure, the natural tendency is to glue the
370512 -        new functionality anywhere you can, without thinking about how
370513 -        you're affecting the core design of the program. ref OF 7 B4S8
370515 -         ..
370516 -        After you have done this several times, the resulting program
370517 -        becomes a diffuse and unwieldy collection of modules, and
370518 -        nobody understands how they interact.  Making any further
370519 -        changes requires an act of faith. ref OF 7 0551
370521 -  ..
370522 - Morris discussed scope creep at Chips on 911221; requires proactive
370523 - management to avoid cost and schedule overruns that delay revenues.
370524 - ref SDS 7 6E5G
370525 -
370526 -            [On 970525 scope creep common in defense contracting,
370527 -            reported by article. ref SDS 30 946T
370528 -
370530 -  ..
370531 - Implement Sound Practice Consistently
370532 -
370533 - Avoid shortcuts is recommended at ref OF 11 M4W6, and fix design
370534 - errors as code evolves, otherwise they are forgotten and become more
370535 - difficult to find and fix.  This is the concept of Communication
370536 - Metrics applied to executive management cited in the POIMS paper as
370537 - way to avoid Murphy's Law, ref OF 2 6221, as well as the NWO paper
370538 - under Aristotle's rule. ref OF 3 4564
370539 -
370541 -  ..
370542 - Prototyping - Understanding Requirements
370543 - Requirements Established in Beginning Impact Project Success
370544 -
370545 - Author recommends developing a prototype, ref OF 7 EJ6K, so that
370546 - programmers can learn through experience demonstrating features and
370547 - functionality to understand requirements and objectives.  This
370548 - reflects Tom Landauer's point from review of his book on 950721, that
370549 - a major risk on software development is that programmers do not
370550 - understand what to program. ref SDS 25 3375  Thus, this article
370551 - supports the notion that "understanding goals" is critical to project
370552 - success, ref SDS 28 8022
370553 -
370554 -     On 950803 this concept was advanced in discussing SDS development
370555 -     plan, ref SDS 27 M4DY
370556 -
370557 -        [On 990525 Morris reports that engineers don't like study,
370558 -        planning, and analysis, they just want to do technology, i.e.,
370559 -        to implement what they already know. ref SDS 33 0966
370561 -         ..
370562 -        [On 001101 article on software development recommends beginning
370563 -        project by setting requirements, design and specifications
370564 -        before writing code. ref SDS 38 MX6H and ref SDS 38 IA3M
370565 -
370567 -  ..
370568 - All of these concerns are identified under the umbrella of...
370569 -
370570 -
370571 -                      quality management
370572 -
370573 -
370574 -      ...per ref OF 7 0782 and ref OF 7 056R
370575 -
370576 - This supports the thesis of Communication Metrics that the secret to
370577 - better management is applying sound management practice consistently
370578 - so we avoid gradually drifting off course.
370579 -
370581 -  ..
370582 - Quality, Cost, Schedule
370583 -
370584 - The article explains the business decisions that must be made,
370585 - expressly or implicitly about the level of quality to achieve,
370586 - relative to the cost of project and time of completion, ref OF 7 1F3G,
370587 - This supplements the ISO 10006 criteria reviewed on 950721, which does
370588 - not mention these considerations. ref SDS 26 YV6F
370589 -
370590 -
370591 -
370592 -
370593 -
370594 -
370595 -
3706 -