دانلود Executable Behavioral Modeling of System and Software Architecture Specifications to Inform Resourcing Decisions

Abstract

The size, cost, and slow rate of change of DoD Information Technology (IT) systems in comparison with commercial IT makes introduction of a new DoD system or capability challenging.  Making design decisions without consideration of the whole system and its environment may result in unintended behaviors that have operational and financial impacts, often not visible until later testing.  The  complexity  of  these  system  interactions  isn’t  cheap,  impacting  intellectual,  programmatic,  and  organizational resources.    Precise  behavioral  modeling  offers  a  way  to  assess  architectural  design  decisions  prior  to,  during,  and  after  implementation to mitigate the impacts of complexity, but in and of itself does not lead to estimates of the effort and the cost of those  design  decisions.  This  research  introduces  a  methodology  to  extract  Unadjusted  Function  Point  (UFP)  counts  from  architectural behavioral models utilizing a framework called Monterey Phoenix (MP), lightweight formal methods, and high level pseudocode for use in cost estimation models such as COCOMO II. Additionally, integration test estimates are informed by extracts of MP model event traces.  These unambiguous, executable architecture models and their views can be inspected and revised, in order to facilitate communication with stakeholders, reduce the potential for software failure, and lower costs in implementation.