Page #138 (21.2 Automated Workflow Methods)


21.3 Low-Cost Commercial Tools

The greatest innovations always seem to come out of the blue. Low-cost commercial tools abound. They usually come from small software firms attempting to do the impossible . They often automate complex scientific tasks and algorithms and their authors give away their solutions for next to nothing.

The future of SPI is in low-cost commercial tools. Low-cost commercial tools are already emerging to automate complex software management and engineering tasks. They often automate the SPI methods themselves .

It is the fundamental responsibility of SPI analysts and executives to create a powerful vision for SPI. This vision must consist of garnering high benefits at the least possible cost, through the use of low-cost commercial tools. Don't forget to consider the power, flexibility, and role of low-cost automated tools in your ROI analysis. This holds true when you use ROI to evaluate the myriad of extremely expensive and manually intensive SPI methods.

Don't confuse extremely expensive tools with low-cost commercial tools. Expensive tools also abound. Expensive tools will drain your SPI budget faster than an expensive, manually intensive SPI method.

Automated static analyzers are a perfect example of low-cost commercial tools. They range in cost from a few hundred dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Aim your resources at automated tools that cost hundreds or thousands of dollars, not hundreds of thousands of dollars. There are many to choose from and their population is growing rapidly .

Automated static analyzers embody the best techniques of the most expensive and manually intensive SPI methods. The question is whether to train all of your software engineers in the latest manually intensive SPI method at $37,100 per person or to buy an automated static analyzer for hundreds of dollars instead.




ROI of Software Process Improvement. Metrics for Project Managers and Software Engineers
ROI of Software Process Improvement: Metrics for Project Managers and Software Engineers
ISBN: 193215924X
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 145

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net