Project Objectives

1. An Operational Concept Definition
2. A Prototype of Key System Features
3. A System Requirements Definition
4. A System and Software Architecture Definition
5. A Life Cycle Plan
6. A Feasibility Rationale, assuring the consistency and feasibility of items 1-5

Team Structure

1. Ensuring consistency among the team members’ artifacts (and documenting this in the Rationale).
2. Leading the team’s development of plans for achieving the project results, and ensuring that project performance tracks the plans.

Project Approach

The LCA package should be sufficiently complete to support development of an Initial Operational Capability (IOC) version of the planned multimedia access capability by a CSCI 577b student team during the Spring 2001 semester. The Life Cycle Plan should establish the appropriate size and structure of such a team.

WinWin User Negotiations

Table 1. Elements of Critical Front End Milestones
 

Milestone Element	Life Cycle Objectives (LCO)	Life Cycle Architecture (LCA)
Definition of Operational Concept	Top-level system objectives and scope System boundary Environment parameters and assumptions Evolution parameters Operational concept Operations and maintenance scenarios and parameters Organizational life-cycle responsibilities (stakeholders)	Elaboration of system objectives and scope by increment  Elaboration of operational concept by increment
System Prototype(s)	Exercise key usage scenarios  Resolve critical risks	Exercise range of usage scenarios  Resolve major outstanding risks
Definition of System Requirements	Top-level functions, interfaces, quality attribute levels, including: Growth vectors Priorities Stakeholders’ concurrence on essentials	Elaboration of functions, interfaces, quality attributes by increment  Identification of TBDs (to-be-determined items)  Stakeholders’ concurrence on their priority concerns
Definition of System and Software Architecture	Top-level definition of at least one feasible architecture  Physical and logical elements and relationships Choices of COTS and reusable software elements Identification of infeasible architecture options	Choice of architecture and elaboration by increment  Physical and logical components, connectors, configurations, constraints  COTS, reuse choices  Domain-architecture and architectural style choices  Architecture evolution parameters
Definition of Life-Cycle Plan	Identification of life-cycle stakeholders Users, customers, developers, maintainers, interfacers, general public, others Identification of life-cycle process model Top-level stages, increments Top-level WWWWWHH* by stage	• Elaboration of WWWWWHH* for Initial Operational Capability (IOC)  -Partial elaboration, identification of key TBDs for later increments
Feasibility Rationale	Assurance of consistency among elements above  Via analysis, measurement, prototyping, simulation, etc.  Business case analysis for requirements, feasible architectures	Assurance of consistency among elements above  All major risks resolved or covered by risk management plan

* WWWWWHH: Why, What, When, Who, Where, How, How Much

The teams will accomplish this reconciliation by using the USC WinWin groupware support system for requirements negotiation. This system provides facilities for stakeholders to express their Win Conditions for the system; to define Issues dealing with conflicts among Win Conditions; to support Options for resolving the Issues; and to consummate Agreements to adopt mutually satisfactory (win-win) Options.

There will be three stakeholder roles:

• Developer : The Architecture and Prototype team members will represent developer concerns, such as use of familiar packages, stability of requirements, availability of support tools, and technically challenging approaches.
• Customer : The Rationale team member will represent customer concerns, such as the need to develop an IOC in one semester, limited budgets for support tools, and low-risk technical approaches.
• User : The Operational Concept and Requirements team members will work with their designated user-community representative to represent user concerns, such as particular multimedia access features, fast response time, friendly user interface, high reliability, and flexibility of requirements.

Major Milestones

Individual Project Critique

Additional Guidelines

• All project documentation will reside on the class Web site.
• Archiving of the project's documentation and prototypes are part of the class assignment.
• Weekly timesheet reporting on the Web site is part of the class assignment (30 points)