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 Engineering - SOFTWARE ON REQUEST

ENGINEERING SOFTWARE - Automated Modernization of applications | IBM Rational Services

Software on order
Nextel Engineering proposes a development model based on its quality system (IMS: Integrated Management System), which makes it possible to work fluidly with the customer. This Quality system is designed to ensure the three basic parameters of a project:

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Pricing budget.
- Execution period.
- Product quality.


The IMS quality system is based on three underlying pillars:

Organization: committed to product orientation where the functional areas are guarantees of the company know-how. All development, be it in a turnkey project or when an in-house product is being developed, is orientated towards decomposing the systems into independent components, with their own assigned requirements. Each of these components comprises an element with an independent configuration, with all its life cycle subject to configuration management, from the requirements to the tests. This guarantees component life, facilitating its reuse and scalability.

Multi-project management. Using the Multi-project Management Methodology, based on the Theory of Constraints (TOC) by Abraham Golddrat. One of the most innovative project management methodologies, successfully applied in various technological companies worldwide, such as IAI (Israeli Aeronautics) or the CAE (the leading company in Simulation worldwide), Lockheed Martin (one of the largest aerospace and defense groups worldwide), Seagate (manufacturer of computer hard disks), etc. Applying this methodology, management is conducted with a single pool of resources and an orientation towards project portfolios, and not to the individual project. The decisions and priorities are assigned in terms of the how the projects are progressing at global level, and in terms of the result of the risk management in place.

Systems and Software Engineering. Based on the Rational Unified Process (RUP), stemming from UML (Unified Modeling Language). This methodology provides the project team with procedures and tools designed to promote the following practices:
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Requirement management.
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Iterative developments.
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Use of architectures based on components.
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Visual Design with UML.
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Ongoing checking of software quality.
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Change management.

IMS is certified according to the ISO 9001:2000 Standard, since 2004, and is compatible with the PECAL 160 and CMMI Level 3 Standards. Both certificates are currently in the process of being certified by PECAL160 and CMMI Level 3.


Project follow-up
Nextel Engineering, in order to ensure correct execution of this project, proposes using the following follow-up and control mechanisms:

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Control by the head of the project, over the activities and other open tasks, assigned to each person, using the management tools for activities and task follow-up.
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Daily update by those responsible for the tasks, for the state of the same and for the buffers associated with the project (in the event of using critical chain as the follow-up method), using the task follow-up tool.
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In-house meetings to follow up the project, on a weekly or fortnightly basis, issuing reports on the same.
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Project audits, which are to be planned in the task network.
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Draft monthly project follow-up reports, to be drawn up by the project manager, covering:
 
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Advance of Critical Chain and consumption of buffers (if applicable)
- State of risks and contingencies.

All these techniques and the tools supporting them are applied on a rigorous basis in various projects in which Nextel Engineering is involved, their application systematics being defined in the procedures and technical instructions of the Integrated Quality System. The power of the tools use is evident in, among other aspects, the capacity to generate reports with the information generated by them, as shown in the following figures:



The advantage of this management system, based on the tools used in the development teams, is the possibility to determine the state of the project in REAL TIME. This is considered to be a very important advantage in our proposal since it makes management considerably swift, combining the advantages of development on-site (a more ongoing control, facilitating communication) with those of the development off-site type (the capacity to modulate capacity with the real demand of the project).


Design and Development Methodology
Nextel Engineering as a software developer of intensive systems have specific processes that cover the activities of Design and Development, which proposes to use in the implementation of the different work activities that have been offered. These processes are based on best practice methodologies such as RUP, MSF.


Methodology of Testing
As a developer company of intensive systems in Software, Nextel Engineering has specific processes covering Design and Development activities. This has been applied internally to great success and has been used in real projects in the military and civil field over the past few years. Nextel Engineering has a long experience in producing test specifications adapted to and tested with the customer. The test engineers in the company have successfully executed the tests requested according to customer conditions and at customer installations; the scope of the tests covers both the functional nature as well as performance.

The Nextel Engineering test methodology, based on the best practices (V-Model, CMMI, MSF, RUP, etc.), is orientated towards compliance with user requirements and the optimization of quality activities in the projects. For this reason, particular importance is given to traceability with the requirements, adaptation of the tests to the same and to automating the same, in order to be efficient in development environments based on incremental iterations (here it is essential to carry out regression tests).



This methodology would, in a practical manner, cover the elements indicated in the work packages demanded:
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Test specifications.
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Protocols for unit tests, for integration and for acceptance, based on the functional requirements of the system.
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Test report.
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Management of test incidents.
This process is based on the following principles:
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A type of test is defined for each stage of the process. The orientation of the test changes in each stage.
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All the tests are documented and results are compiled, guaranteeing traceability between requirements, case of use, test and fault.
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All the tests are made available to the customer and may be validated or coordinated with the same. In certain stages, it is imperative for the customer to carry out the validation.
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Execution of the tests is automatically recorded. In this manner, the trace is guarantee for the audit.
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All the test recording process and management of results is conducted remotely, in such a manner that there is nothing dependent on the PCs.
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Access to the test management tools and fault management may be carried out over the Web.
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Reports may be extracted in numerous formats, particularly on the process and its state.
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All states and sub-states of the faults are defined and documented.

The test processes are perfectly integrated with the activities of the software life cycle, as shown in the figure above. The test teams are integrated as yet other members of the development team, participating along with them in the different Checking and Validation activities.

Nextel Engineering uses the Manager Test tool by Rational as test repository. Its use is included in a specific technical instruction of the quality system (IT060), which makes it compulsory for the tests and results to have a homogeneous format at company level. This tool makes it possible to trace the requirements with the tests and to keep a record of all the protocol applications for these along with their results.

Management of test incidents is carried out using the Clear Quest tool by Rational. Both tools are integrated, facilitating automatic traceability between tests and faults. There are procedures defined covering incident management, and these too are included in another technical instruction of the IMS.

Nextel Engineering has test engineers specifically devoted to these. They are not developers who are called on for momentary tests. These engineers have devoted almost all of their professional lives to this field of tests, so that the orientation towards quality is guaranteed.