Assumptions Management in Software Development

Abstract

Software developers constantly make assumptions about the interpretation of requirements, design decisions, operational domain, environment, characteristics of input data, and other factors during system implementation. These assumptions are seldom documented and less frequently validated by the people who have the knowledge to verify their appropriateness. Additionally, the business, legal, and operating environments are always changing, as well as the software itself, rendering previously valid assumptions invalid. This technical note explores assumptions management as a method for improving software quality. This exploration covers assumptions management concepts, results of work on a prototype Assumptions Management System, conclusions, lessons learned, and potential work in this area.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 01, 2004
Accession Number
ADA443152

Entities

People

  • Grace Lewis
  • Lutz Wrage
  • Teeraphong Mahatham

Organizations

  • Carnegie Mellon University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agile Software Development
  • Computer Programming
  • Computer Programs
  • Computer Science
  • Computers
  • Engineering
  • Environment
  • Governments
  • Graphical User Interface
  • Language
  • Lessons Learned
  • New York
  • Programming Languages
  • Prototypes
  • Software Development
  • Standards
  • United States

Fields of Study

  • Computer science

Readers

  • Database Systems and Applications
  • Systems Analysis and Design
  • Theoretical Analysis.