Re: 2167A Questions

[rational.com!eddy!ars@uunet.uu.net (Andy Simmons)]

In article <9307230603.aa19185@dsc.blm.gov>, cjames@DSC.BLM.GOV (Colin James 06
21) writes:
> 
>   
> Several writers have classified Computer Software Configuration Item
> (CSCI), Computer Software Component (CSC), and Computer Software Unit
> (CSU), eg, respectively as book, chapter, and paragraph.   This is
> not exact because a CSC may be composed of other lower level CSCs.
> However a CSCI may not be composed of other CSCIs nor are CSUs
> composed of other CSUs.
>   
> The confusion with these items seems to arise when designing and 
> mapping them to Ada.  David Maibor, one of the principal authors of
> DoD-STD-2167A/2168, makes the important point that CSCs may be
> composed of other CSCs;  Donald Firesmith of Advanced Software 
> Technology Specialists, Ossian, IN has invented a convenient methodology
> of mapping design objects within the 2167A cycle to Ada objects in
> general;  and I have invented a method, based on Jackson, of directly
> mapping objects on a one-to-one basis from the requirements/specifications
> phase into Ada implementation objects (known as Object Oriented Life
> Cycle [OOLC]).  This decomposes specifications from users into objects
> and operations, recomposes them into software requirements and
> documentsion, maps these into the software design components of
> Dod-STD-2167A, implements them directly into the language structures
> of Ada-83, and traces quality assurance and configuration control for
> managers according to Dod-STD-2168. (OOLC won't brush your teeth :-<  .)
>   
> In recent times, many other methods have attempted to address the 2167A
> to Ada connection.  As I recall, Rational abandoned trying.  But there
> are at least two successful methods, namely Firesmith's and mine.
>   

As one of the people at Rational responsible for addressing the use of various 
methods with Ada and 2167A I must take exception with your statement that "...R
ational abandonded trying."

At the Nov.`92 Tri-Ada conference Grady Booch and I presented a tutorial on usi
ng OO for 2167A compliant Ada development.  In that tutorial we describe a meth
od that recommends mapping class categories to CSCIs, nested class categories t
o CSCs and collections of Ada units to CSUs.  This is consistent with approache
s I have observed througout the industry and an earlier posting from Laurence V
anDolsen that suggests that CSCIs and CSCs are management abstractions and CSUs
 correspond to Ada compilation units.

  VanDolsen's posting conveys some very good advice about the standards.  I als
o recommend reading the report on Implementing the DOD-STD-2167 and DOD-STD-216
7A Software Organizational Structure in Ada, by the Software Organization Subgr
oup of the Software Development Standards and Ada Working Group (SDSAWG), Assoc
iation for Computing Machinery (ACM), Special Interest Group on Ada (SIGAda), A
ugust 1990.
Copies of the tutorial including guidelines for tailoring the SRS, IRS, SDD, an
d IDD are available upon request.  Send E-Mail to Mike Ruf (mpr@rational.com) t
o request a hardcopy.

We are actively engaged with our customers in applying this method to real proj
ects.  We continue to evolve and refine the method based on experience.

Rational is committed to supporting Ada and assisting our customers with its us
e including methods that address "the 2167A to Ada connection".  Our products a
nd services demonstrate that we are far from abandoning this effort.