The Impact of Software Support on System Total Ownership Cost
Abstract
The software component of our increasingly high-technology weapon systems provides the capabilities and lethality desired for our forces, but it is potentially devastating to our ability to cost-effectively maintain their advantages. The complexity of individual software-intensive systems is significantly compounded when they are combined in a "system of systems" architecture. The initial software architecture, driven by how requirements are translated into performance specifications, is critical in determining how much maintenance will be required and how much effort will be required in the necessary maintenance actions. To gain more effective software design, significantly more effort is required in requirements analyses. Performance specifications must be much more developed than is typical in the current development model. Handing off performance specifications developed through just three levels of the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) for software-intensive systems is insufficient in a complex, system of systems environment dependent on seamless interfaces in an ever-changing architecture. Significant development, incorporating all critical performance features, interface requirements, and known, planned, and projected upgrades, changes, and enhancements must be effectively transmitted to the developer for consideration in the software design and architecture. Without these efforts, software supportability costs will continue to skyrocket as existing software will require expensive and time-consuming re-engineering to accommodate interface and capability changes that were known or could have been derived from a more thorough requirements analyses.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 30, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA498969
Entities
People
- Brad R. Naegle
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School