If your software and systems development team is under 10 people, including coding, testing, and project management, then your projects may not experience huge difficulties associated with traceability -- i.e., the discipline that links requirements to test case and test results. But for larger teams of 30 or more, where even a medium-size project involves 5,000 requirements and 10,000 test cases, the complexity can feel overwhelming.

Consider this: If it takes 20 minutes to link the appropriate test artifacts for each requirement, then a project of that size requires 10 person-months to create the traceability links between requirements and test cases. While industry regulations and compliance requirements make this a mandatory part of the process, it also represents a massive drain on productivity

A question of risk

It’s helpful to think about the complexity in terms of risk. In software development, whether targeted to the IT space or the systems engineering space, there are two kinds of risk we have to worry about: first is the risk of poor quality; second is the risk of missed opportunity, where you lose out to a competitor who gets a product to market ahead of you.

Some organizations manage projects to avoid quality problems at all costs (software targeted for medical applications, or air traffic control systems, for example). Other companies manage projects as if time to market is all-important, knowing that customers are likely to forgive glitches, for a while at least, as long as they have the latest offering from their supplier.

Save time, ensure quality, improve ROI

But there is another way. In a new paper, IBM Rational quality management guru Moshe Cohen describes how a risk-driven approach to software project management can save time without sacrificing quality. Moreover, he explains: “By gradually implementing quality management best practices with the potential to deliver a positive ROI within a relative short amount of time, you can justify risk reduction measures from not only a quality standpoint but also a pure financial standpoint.”

In explaining this approach, Moshe guides the reader through concepts such as traceability, illustrating the use of test cases and improved mapping techniques to cost-saving scenarios.

If you are part of a quality team, or if you are a project manager who’s looking for improved traceability methods to implement across the lifecycle, this paper is a great place to start. And even if you’re not a testing engineer, this paper provides a helpful introduction to quality management practices and its business impact without taking you too far into the technical weeds.

It’s good reading! Find it here.

And take a look at all the other new papers we have for you on our updated “Leading Innovation” page.

Happy iterations!

Tags:  systems-engineering roi risk it quality-management software white-paper systems moshe-cohen requirements development