Abstract

This paper discusses why inconsistencies in software processes are inevitable and presents an approach to process analysis which helps discover and manage these inconsistencies. By analogy with viewpoints for requirements engineering which allow multiple perspectives on a software product specification to be managed, we have developed the notion of process viewpoints which provide multi-perspective descriptions of software processes. A process viewpoint includes a statement of focus or 'world-view', a set of sources of process information, a process description and a set of organisational concerns which represent goals or constraints on the process analysis. We present a description and rationale of process viewpoints, discuss the process of applying process viewpoints for process understanding and illustrate the overall approach using an industrial example drawn from processes which are part of a safety-critical system development. Managing Process Inconsistency using Viewpoints I. Sommerville, P. Sawyer, S. Viller Computing Department, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YR {is, sawyer, viller}@comp.lancs.ac.uk Abstract This paper discusses why inconsistencies in software processes are inevitable and presents an approach to process analysis which helps discover and manage these inconsistencies. By analogy with viewpoints for requirements engineering which allow multiple perspectives on a software product specification to be managed, we have developed the notion of process viewpoints which provide multi-perspective descriptions of software processes. A process viewpoint includes a statement of focus or 'world-view', a set of sources of process information, a process description and a set of organisational concerns which represent goals or constraints on the proces...

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