Software Process Concurrence

摘要

Process concurrence provides a robust framework for modeling software processes andtheir constraint mechanisms. It is general enough to characterize a broad spectrum of current andemerging methodologies in terms of work available to complete on a project. It is moregenerally applicable than the Rayleigh curve, provides a detailed view of process dynamics andis meaningful for planning and improvement purposes. With it one can derive optimal staffingprofiles for different project types, and as a shared project model it serves to improve stakeholdercommunication.The software industry is continually introducing new processes, methodologies and tools.Many modern techniques serve to increase concurrence (and thus decrease cycle time) in severalways like increasing task parallelism or automating product elaboration. Process concurrencecan evaluate such strategies by modeling task interdependency constraints between and withinphases.This paper will introduce process concurrence, show examples from the softwaredevelopment domain, compare concurrence relationships for typical development situations, runsome simulation experiments, and present lessons for practitioners based on the modeling.Finally, the notions of process concurrence, Rayleigh curves and Brooks’s Law are integratedfrom the perspective of making work available.