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Vektrex MetamorphosisTM Development Process
Companies outsource
measurement system developments for a variety of reasons. Often it is
because they are missing in-house technical resources, or because there is a
short schedule to meet. Specialized talent and additional engineering
resources are the most obvious contributions an outside contractor can bring
to the project. A third, equally important contribution to the success of
the project is design engineering discipline. Often the necessary
engineering discipline is not available in-house, either because the
organization does not normally do engineering development, or because the
in-house engineering team is busy on other projects. This contribution is
frequently overlooked at the project's inception, when project planners are
focused on talent and resources. Without this discipline, a project can
easily drift off-course, missing schedule and cost targets, often ending up
off far from its intended goal.
The Metamorphosis
development process supplies the key engineering discipline
necessary to keep your project on course and to make it successful.
Pre-Launch - Gather Data For Decision Making
Metamorphosis starts
with your initial sales inquiry. At that time a Vektrex applications
engineer meets with you to help understand and identify preliminary project
requirements. He or she then works with you to determine an appropriate
technology for your measurement challenge. If requirements are firm, a fixed
price Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) estimate can then be prepared. Finally,
in many cases, a preliminary Return On Investment (ROI) is calculated. With a preliminary
project requirements, an estimate and a ROI, you and your management team
will have a good understanding of where you are going and all the
information necessary to make a project launch decision.
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Project Launch - Start on the
Right Course
Once you decide to formally
launch your project, the M-Process keeps your project on track, providing
key management data on a timely basis. First, project points of contact are
established, to provide good lines of communication at all levels. Next, a
project manager is assigned to the project. The project manager is your key
management contact for the duration of the project. The project manager
provides you with a weekly written project status, including financial and
schedule data. Finally, the project is set up in our TimeControlTM
timekeeping system and assigned a code name, usually based upon a
mineral name, to preserve confidentiality.
Example Project Name: Fluorite
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Execution - Use A Mature
Development Model
Measurement system
development models vary greatly, and it is important to use the right
models. This is well documented in National Instrument's
LabVIEW
Development Guidelines. There are three main development models:
In the Code and Fix model, a
software engineer dives right in and begins coding the solution. The
solution is then tested and refined. This approach has the advantage that
work begins immediately, and results soon follow, however the results are
often highly dependant upon the skill and experience of the individual
engineer. It is usually quite difficult to coordinate more than one resource
with this approach as it minimizes design documentation, thus this model
breaks down quickly as the project size increases.
The waterfall model is the traditional approach
applied to many engineering development projects, especially
hardware-focused projects. In the waterfall approach, the entire project is
planned out before work begins. The project is then managed to
minimize deviations from the pre-planned work schedule. The waterfall model
is good if the development process is very predictable. It is not as
effective when development is less predictable -- as it is in most
measurement system software developments.
The third, spiral
development model is more suited to software projects. In a spiral model, the project is developed in iterations. Each
iteration delivers incremental functionality that builds on the previous
iteration. By developing the project in iterations, issues can be exposed at
early stages, minimizing the impact of any problems that surface. Project
stakeholders can also see results sooner, giving them the ability to make
improvements or adjustments. The spiral model is the most successful for
model in use today. The Vektrex Metamorphosis process is a spiral
development process that is based upon the Rational Unified Development
TM process.
Metamorphosis - Designed For Measurement Systems
The Metamorphosis process is
diagramed in the figure below. Every part of the process is guided by the
project manager. The key documents, called artifacts, are:
The process is highly
optimized for measurement system development. Vektrex has developed
templates to speed much of the routine documentation work.
Metamorphosis - Mitigates Project Risks
Measurement system
developments typically face many challenges that present risks to the
project. The Metamorphosis process mitigates many of the routine project
risks, helping to assure your development is successful. For instance:
| Risk |
Mitigation Strategy |
| Feature creep |
Formal design
documentation
Defect enhancement
database |
| Need for immediate results |
Iterative development
process |
| Short schedule |
Documentation templates
Reusable code
Efficient process |
TimeControlTM is a registered trademark of HMS
Software Corporation
Rational Unified DevelopmentTM is a register trademark of
Rational Corporation |
