Objective The objective of the DART Project is to achieve a substantial improvement in the software development process of Sud Sistemi Srl, especially in the phases of system specification and coding. The expected improvement should also lead to a better acceptance of the system functionality and performance by the clients and to a more extensive reuse of base software components with reduced maintenance costs. At the completion of the project, the following objectives should be met:a) reduction in the average effort necessary for the development of new applications, with standard software component reuse figures between 60% and 80%;b) reduction in the post delivery implementations of variants (50%-60% reduction of wasted effort)c) reduction in the residual errors and the post delivery maintenance interventions (a figure of about 5% is expected for corrective maintenance effort in relation to the overall implementation effort);d) reduction in the effort of administration and evolutive maintenance of the standard library (a 25% reduction is expected);e) introduction of a formal set of process and product quality metrics.With the same characteristics (number of users, product and client type) as Sud Sistemi, in Italy there are no less than another thousand companies. In Europe this number is 5 or 6 times greater. As Sud Sistemi is a qualified partner of IBM, a natural transfer environment for the experience developed through this PIE is made up of all the Software houses that are around IBM and like Sud Sistemi are oriented to converting their software production methods towards solutions that are similar to those under experimentation. Moreover, thinking of the ever increasing demand as regards personalised Client/Server products for solving niche problems, whatever the Database server, the number of software companies that could gain advantages from this experiment could be even greater.THE EXPERIMENT The Process Improvement Experiment deals with the adoption of a software development approach by rapid prototyping based on two cornerstones: the use of techniques of visual programming for rapid definition and validation of user specifications and the adoption of reuse techniques, based on object orientation criteria, for the rapid customisation and integration of company's standard software components into the new applications. The PIE will be conducted on an already planned baseline project of strategic relevance for the company; this in fact deals with the development of a new business application package in Client/Server architecture. Sud Sistemi S.r.l. employs 27 people, 4 of them are involved in the DART team. EXPECTED IMPACT AND EXPERIENCE Mid-term benefits expected include the increase in the profitability of contracts with middle sized companies, improving the quality of the products and the supply times, and securing small firms that currently suffer from prices that seem to be too high for their capabilities. As regards new markets, the company foresees a great expansion in the middle sized firms, a growth in the field of small ones and the introduction of some large companies thanks to the quality of the new products that will be realised in some niches. Fields of science natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesdatabasesnatural sciencescomputer and information sciencessoftwaresoftware development Programme(s) FP4-ESSI 2 - Software Best Practice initiative within the framework of the specific research and technological development programme in the field of Information Technologies, 1994-1998 Topic(s) 1.28 - Process Improvement Experiments Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme ACM - Preparatory, accompanying and support measures Coordinator Sud Sistemi EU contribution No data Address Via Napoli 329/E Napoli Italy See on map Total cost No data
