Software Systems Engineering Process
PNNL maintains an iterative, standards-based approach to planning and managing software development projects. Our rigorous Software Systems Engineering Process (SSEP) was built around a philosophy, process, and set of tools meant to reduce and manage project risks by following a detailed project life cycle. We execute this approach through sound project planning and management principles.
Our process and services include the following:
- Project Management: We manage and control contract R&D work for our clients within scope, schedule and budget using a repeatable process that ensures success.
- Software Quality Assurance: PNNL brings a planned and systematic implementation of all actions necessary to provide adequate confidence that a software product meets established technical requirements. Key components of the program include requirements management; software configuration management; defect prevention through intermediate reviews; and defect detection through unit, integration, system, and acceptance testing.
- Software Requirements: Our SSEP provides a process by which the essential requirements such as functions, performance, design constraints, and attributes of the software and/or hardware and their external interfaces are documented and used in the analysis and design of our software.
- Systems Analysis and Design: We engage our customers and they collaborate with the project team on the high-level design of the system. Typically, the project team is involved in an iterative process of defining requirements, designing, prototyping, demonstrating, evaluating, and analyzing trade-offs. The end result is a documented understanding of requirements, a high-level system design, and may include an analysis of the system's impact on the customer's work environment.
- Rapid Systems Development: When project schedules and risk warrant quick delivery in incremental steps, the SSEP provides software engineering techniques in which a preliminary version of part or all of the system is developed in an expedited fashion to permit user feedback, determine feasibility, or investigate timing or other issues in support of the development process.
- Software Engineering Process: We can share our experiences in developing our SSEP to help build the right process for our customers to use in developing their own software systems. The resultant process can include paper documents, web-based delivery of procedures and guidelines, and easy-to-use templates for the common process artifacts that are produced during the software development process.
- Product and Process Assessments: PNNL can provide independent examinations of work products to assess compliance with specifications, standards, contractual agreements, or other criteria for our clients in the same manner that we evaluate and improve our own processes.
Contact: Lee Ann Dudney