Page 127 - Navy Journal 219
P. 127

Software Project ...


                  Risk Management Practices is the combination of methods, resources,
             extent and period of use. This is actually the assurance guarantee of whether the
             risk management practices were at all utilized in the SDLC or not. If utilized then
             what were the methods utilized, what were the resources used and during which
             phase of the SDLC it was used. Comparing to the existing practice in the
             software development project of BN, there is limited utilization of risk
             management  practices  observed so  far,  which  is the  gray  area where
             concentration is to be given. However, in an informal approach the risk
             management analysis is done during the initial stage of the development, which
             means during planning and requirement analysis phases. A specific guideline is
             to  be  formulated  to  adopt  safe  risk  management  practices  for  the  software
             development projects of BN in this regard.
                  Environmental Contingencies  include  organizational  characteristics,
             technology characteristics, and individual characteristics. Organizational
             characteristics are the combination of factors like organizational size, activities,
             type of system being developed, and contractual agreement.  Technology
             characteristics involve the requirement of newness of technology, the complexity
             observed and novelty required in the technological solutions. It is also presumed
             that development tools and methods employed for the software project affect the
             ability to manage risks. Finally, the project managers’ personal characteristics
             and experience is another influential factor for successful management of risk.
             The organizational activities of BN are unique and different from private and
             other public organizations.  This difference demands management of risk
             differently. The contracted developer firm needs to understand the uniqueness of
             corporate activities as well as the complexities associated with the intended
             technological solution. Moreover, there is horizontal coordinated relationship
             between the project managers of the contracted software firm with the Naval
             Information &  Technology Directorate.  The coordination has become more
             complex due to requirement of coordination with the user office in terms of the
             analysis of requirement.

             Fundamentals of Boehm’s Software RM - BN Perspective
                    Barry Boehm, a famous software specialist and researcher has devised
             the Software RM in order to address the vulnerability of software runway or
             failure. According to Barry Boehm, software RM is intended to analyze software
             verification and validation (V & V) activities, and helps to address the question




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