new project

new project

[Cothrell]

I am a member of a project team that is considering using Ada as the
design language/implementation language.  Our biggest problem is
estimating the time, manpower, efficiency, etc...  issues.  We would
like to receive comments concerning metrics that can be applied to an
Ada project for determining such things as mentioned above plus any
other guages that may be useful.  We have already implemented the
system(sort of) in C, but the entire effort was basically just to prove
the concept quickly, not something one would like to have credited to
his name.  the size came out to about 33,000 lines of code, with 6 to 9
programmers, and took about 15 months.  Not good statistics.  Anyway,
any help would be appreciated.  Scott Cothrell DOCKMASTER.ARPA

Re: new project

[Rick Conn]

Scott,
	Re your question about using Ada as the design language and the
implementation language for a new project, you might be interested in
getting a copy of "Ada Adoption Handbook: A Program Manager's Guide", Version
1.0, SEI Technical Report CMU/SEI-87-TR-9, ESD-TR-87-110, May 1987
by John Foreman and John Goodenough of the Software Engineering
Institute.  Contact the SEI JPO at 412/268-7630 for details (this document
is free).
	The PMG, while distinctly biased toward the DoD Ada effort,
contains many reasonable answers to questions commonly raised about adopting
Ada for use on a project.  I feel that the PMG does a good job in
identifying the issues, providing possible answers to the questions
commonly raised (altho I may take issue with some of the answers, the
SEI should be commended for making the effort to create the PMG and
going on the line with their opinions), and providing pointers to
help you in answering your questions to your own satisfaction.
	An outline of the PMG:
		1. Introduction
		2. Program Manager Considerations (costs, Technical
			issues, program control, getting help)
		3. The Need for Ada
		4. Software Production Technology (terms, Ada compilers,
			programming support environments, forecast)
		5. Ada Maturity and Applicability (action plans for
			various situations, use of Ada on embedded
			processors, use of Ada for real-time systems,
			use of Ada for distriubted systems)
		6. Special-purpose languages
		7. Mixing Ada with other languages
		8. Software Reuse and Ada
		9. Learning Ada: Training Implications
		I. Ada Working Groups and Agencies
		II. Programs Using Ada (Army, Navy, Air Force, commercial, IR&D)
		III. Ada Textbooks
		IV. Ada Compilers for target processors

	You may also want to look at some of the documentation in the
Ada Software Repository, particularly the files in PD:<ADA.EDUCATION>
on Ada programming notes (PNOTE*.DOC), common Ada programming errors
(PROGERRS.DOC), technical reports from live Ada projects with productivity
information and "lessons learned" (ADASOFTR.DOC and TITR.DOC), the lists
of Ada texts (TEXTBOOKS.DOC and TEXTS.DOC), and the files in PD:<ADA.POINTERS>
(which contains lists of validated Ada compilers, planned Ada compilers,
and information on various DoD and SIGAda programs/projects).

		Rick
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