Software Process Simulation

and Modeling: A Review

Walt Scacchi
Institute for Software Research
UCIrvine
[email protected]

http://www.ics.uci.edu/~wscacchi/Presentations/ProSim03/Keynote
http://www.ics.uci.edu/~wscacchi/Presentations/ProSim03 /Keynote

Overview
• ProSim, ISPW, FEAST/IWSE
• ProSim tools, techniques, concepts
• Results, findings, accomplishments
• Emerging R&D opportunities
• Conclusions

1
 ProSim, ISPW, FEAST/IWSE
• ProSim roots: Intern. Software Process
Workshops 1980-
1980 -1990s (ten)
• ProSim Workshop legacy: 1998-
1998 -2003 (four)
– 40 journal papers (JSS
(JSS,, SPIP )
• ProSim cousins:
– Feedback, Evolution and Software
Technology (FEAST)
– Intern. Workshop on Software Evolution

ProSim Focus Areas

• Software Process Simulation and Modeling
– Project modeling and simulation
– Process simulations and simulators
– COTS vs. custom simulation packages
– Group, team, engineering and evolution
processes
– Centralized and distributed processes
– Relation to other process engineering
activities
• Analysis, redesign, visualization, scheduling, etc.

2
 ProSim Tools
• Commercial simulation & modeling packages
– Discrete-
Discrete-event
– Systems dynamics (continuous systems)
• Research prototypes
– Knowledge-based systems
Knowledge-
– Multi--agent systems
Multi
– Distributed systems
– Model--driven process support environments
Model
– Meta-- modeling/process ontology interpreters
Meta

Discrete -event simulation

and modeling

3
FEAST Systems Dynamics
Modeling for Simulation

Vensim Systems Dynamics

Modeling and Simulation

4
 Knowledge -based process
modeling

ProSim Techniques
• Descriptive M&S: Collect empirical data on
existing software processes to reproduce
observed patterns, or to improve them
• Pro/Prescriptive M&S: Construct M&S that
demonstrate advantages of new processes
compared to some real/imaginary baseline
• Experimental M&S: Construct M&S that
test theoretical propositions or enable
exploration of emerging concepts

5
Descriptive capture and tabular
coding of process model details

Lehman Software Evolution

Growth Data

6
ProSim EngineeringTechniques

Meta-- modeling
Meta Visualization Instantiation
and enactment
Modeling Prototyping and Monitoring and
walkthrough measurement
Analysis Change History capture
management and replay
Simulation Integration Repair and
Improvement
Redesign Environment Evolution and
generation asset mgmt.

As-- is vs. to-

As to-be process

7
 ProSim Concepts
• Meta-
Meta-modeling vs. modeling
• Model
Model--driven process support
environments
– Simulators, PSE/IDEs
PSE/IDEs,, Web-
Web-based
process hypertext/media
• Process improvement via simulation,
analysis, and redesign
• Process depth vs. breadth

Process Meta-Model (left) and

example process model (right)

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Results, Findings, Accomplishments
• Identifying high-
high-yield and pathological
processes and process domains
• Software evolution
• Software process improvement/redesign
• Software process vs. business process
• Hybrid simulations/models
• Process modeling languages
– JIL, PML, xPADL
xPADL,, BPEL4WS (?)

Web-based process hypertext

example

9
 A complex SDLC process model :
a decomposition-
decomposition-precedence relationship view
(19 levels of decomposition, 400+ tasks)

Research grant justification and approval

process at Office of Naval Research

10
 Missing Results, Findings,
Accomplishments
• M&S of CMM assessed processes
• M&S of alternative SDLC process/tool
frameworks (Waterfall vs. Spiral vs. Agile)
• M&S software deployment/release,
diffusion, and adoption processes
• M&S of software evolution process across
– Product lines
– Product/technology generations

Emerging ProSim R&D

Opportunities
• M&S open source software
development/evolution processes
• Open source ProSim tools and M&S
examples
• Global ProSim interoperability
testbeds
• Computer Game-
Game- based ProSim tools
and techniques

11
 Emerging ProSim R&D
Opportunities

• M&S open source software

development/evolution processes

Module
Board member maintainer
Release Manager

Decide future Start a new Determine Determine Create module

release dates release phase main features project web page Module
(Mailing list) (Mailing list) features (Web site) Web Page
(Mailing list)

Release Module Build

Roadmap Schedule
Site proposal plan (CVS scripts)
administrator source
QA Team code

Download links Final Development Developer

Check
(SourceCast) Release (NetBeans, Mailing build
Write bug
list)
fix
(NetBeans)
Test
(NetBeans)
NetBeans
Web Site Release Check List of
candidate (NetBeans, Mailing Q bugs to
2 list) build fix

Release Use
information Check (NetBSeans, Decide which
Release (NetBeans, Mailing
update Issuezilla) bugs to fix
candidate list)
(SourceCast) (Issuezilla)
1

User List of
bugs
Release Manager

Release Process for NetBeans.org

12
Linux Kernel growth

GNOME Growth

13
 Emerging ProSim R&D
Opportunities

• Open source ProSim tools and M&S

examples

Protégé 2000
OSS Modeling Tool

14
 Emerging ProSim R&D
Opportunities

• Global ProSim interoperability

testbeds

Global ProSim testbed

concept

15
 Emerging ProSim R&D
Opportunities

• Computer Game-
Game- based ProSim tools
and techniques

Computer game process

simulation environment

16
 Another game M&S
environment

QuakeCon LAN Party with

>1700 game players

17
 Conclusions
• R&D in Process Simulation and
Modeling is active, sustained, growing
• Systems Dynamics remains the major
mode of ProSim research, though this
may require rethinking
• ProSim has produced substantial
results and accomplishments
• New opportunities for ProSim R&D
are apparent and high value

Acknowledgements
• The research in this presentation is
supported by grants from:
– National Science Foundation
• #IIS
#IIS--0083075, #ITR -0205679,
#ITR--0205724
#ITR
– No endorsement implied.
implied.
• Collaborators: Mark Ackerman (UMichigan
(UMichigan),
),
Les Gasser (UIUC), John Noll (SCU),
Margaret Elliott and Chris Jensen (UCI-
(UCI-ISR)

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