Artifact: Tools
| The tools to support the software-development effort. | |
| Role: | Tool Specialist |
| Optionality/Occurrence: | Early in the project lifecycle. |
| Templates and Reports: | |
| Examples: | |
| UML Representation: | Not applicable. |
| More Information: |
| Input to Activities: - Analyze Test Failure - Develop Manual Styleguide - Implement Test - Implement Test Suite - Launch Development Process - Prepare Guidelines for the Project - Prepare Templates for the Project - Select and Acquire Tools - Set Up Tools - Support Development - Verify Tool Configuration and Installation | Output from Activities: - Select and Acquire Tools - Set Up Tools |
Purpose
A software-engineering process requires tools to support all activities in a system’s lifecycle.
Enclosed Artifacts
Tools that support:
- Requirements management
- Visual modeling
- Programming
- Automated testing
- Configuration management
- Change management
- Project management
- Documentation
- Web authoring
- Graphics
See Concepts: Supporting Tools for more information.
Timing
The environment is equipped with tools in time for when they are needed in the development. Note that with an iterative approach you go through the entire lifecycle in the first or second iteration which means that the environment needs to be set up early on in the project lifecycle.
Responsibility
The tool specialist is responsible for providing supporting tools that works.
Additional Information
Tools capture the minimum environment requirements to implement the process.
With mega-programming support (object-oriented CASE tools, middleware, reusable libraries), rapid architecture iteration is possible.
With automated documentation, change management, and regression test support, software changes are feasible to enable efficient iteration.
Powerful host/target compiler families with incremental compilation and good turnaround times enable projects to work productively in compilable/executable source languages.
If the metrics are not automated and non-intrusive to the majority of developers, they will be avoided rather than embraced.
Tailoring
Tailoring of this artifact should be documented in the Artifact: Tool Guidelines.