Review

Contract Review
A bad contract is always an undesirable event Bad contract Loosely defined requirements, unrealistic budgets & schedules Low quality software

Signing a Contract

Participation in a tender Submission of a proposal according to the customers RFP Receipt of an order from a companys customer Receipt of an internal request or order from another department in the organization

Review Stages

Review of the proposal draft prior to submission to the potential customer (proposal draft review) Review of contract draft prior to signing (contract draft review)

Proposal Draft Review Objectives (1/2)

Customer requirements have been clarified and documented Alternative approaches for carrying out the project have been examined Formal aspects of the relationship between the customer and the software firm have been specified Identification of development risks Adequate estimation of project resources and timetable have been prepared
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Proposal Draft Review Objectives (2/2)

Examination of the firms capacity with respect to the project Examination of the customers capacity to fulfill his commitments Definition of partner and subcontractor participation conditions Definition and protection of proprietary rights

Contract Draft Review Objectives

No unclarified issues remain in the contract draft All understandings reached subsequent to the proposal are correctly documented No new changes, additions, or omissions have entered the contract draft

Factors Determining the Extent of the Contract Review Efforts

Project magnitude Project technical complexity Degree of staff acquaintance with and experience in the project area Project organizational complexity

Who Performs a Contract Review?

The leader or another member of the proposal team The members of the proposal team An outside professional or a company staff member who is not a member of the proposal team A team of outside experts

Contract Reviews for Big Proposals

Difficulties: Time pressures Proper contract review requires substantial professional work The potential contract review team members are very busy How to facilitate? The contract review should be scheduled A team should carry out the contract review A contract review team leader should be appointed
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Problems of Contract Reviews for Internal Projects (1/2)

Inadequate definition of project requirements Poor estimates of required resources Poor timetable/scheduling Inadequate awareness of development risks

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Problems of Contract Reviews for Internal Projects (2/2)

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Direct Objectives of Review

To detect analysis and design errors To identify new risks likely to affect completion of the project To locate deviations from templates and style procedures and conventions To approve the analysis or design product

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Indirect Objectives of Review

To provide an informal meeting place for exchange of professional knowledge about development methods, tools, and techniques To record analysis and design errors that will serve as a basis for future corrective actions

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Formal Design Review

Necessary for approval of the design product Without this approval, the development team cannot continue to the next phase of the software development project Formal design reviews may be conducted at any development milestone requiring completion of an analysis or design document, whether that document is a requirement specification or an installation plan
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Common Formal Design Review (1/2)

DPR Development Plan Review SRSR Software Requirement Specification Review PDR Preliminary Design Review DDR Detailed Design Review DBDR Data Base Design Review TPR Test Plan Review STPR Software Test Procedure Review

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Common Formal Design Review (2/2)

VDR Version Description Review OMR Operator Manual Review SMR Support Manual Review TRR Test Readiness Review PRR Product Release Review IPR Installation Plan Review

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Design Review Report

A summary of the review discussions The decision about continuation of the project A full list of the required actions corrections, changes, and additions that the project team has to perform The name(s) of the review team member(s) assigned to follow up performance of corrections

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Peer Review

Participants in peer reviews are the project leaders equals, members of his or her department and other units Main objectives of peer review lie in detecting errors and deviations from standards

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Specialized Professionals Participating in Peer Review

Designer Coder/programmer Tester Standards enforcer Maintenance expert User representative

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Outside Expert Opinion

Insufficient in-house professional capabilities in a specialized area Temporary lack of in-house professionals for review team participation due to intense workload pressures during periods when waiting will cause substantial delays in the project completion schedule Indecisiveness caused by major disagreements among the organizations senior professionals In small organizations, where the number of suitable candidates for a review team is insufficient
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