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PO WEEKNAPPLICATION DEVELOPMENT

APPLIED INTELLIGENCE. |

kem Ha
k.

COCTOBER 23, 1989

-IBM's Repository Is Key to a Successful CASE Strategy

of a sertes on
IBM s recently
announced, Re-
posuorjy, a Sig š
naficant compo-
nent of its ap-
plications-devel-
opment strategy
Jor the 19905.
The adoption
of a standard re-
pository for de-
Sign information
is vital to a suc-
cessful strategy
for computer-aided software engineering
(CASE) for both end users and vendors.
in accepting a repository standard, users
of compliant CASE tools will be able to
share design specifications, while CASE
vendors will be allowed to compete in
an open environment. It's that simple.

The introduction of the Application

Development (AD)/Cycle by IBM clari-
[ies many of the issues in defining a
strategy for CASE. Third-party vendors
of CASE tools now can decide whether
or not to adopt the de facto standard
for designu specifications defined by IBM.
Users of CASE tools also can decide
whether to limit their purchase of CASE
tools to those compliant with the pub-
lished standard. Still, there are other is-
sues relevant to the implementation of a
successful CASE strategy. These include
support. of top management, selection of
highly integrated CASE tools, use of a
methodology optimized for high-speed
development, and issues related to the
training, education and motivation of
the development staff.

A chief objective of a CASE strategy
is a substantial boost, in the productivity
of the applications-development process.
As shown in the figure, a large improve-
ment in productivity depends on four
factors (depicted as four tall pyramids):
tools, methodology, personnel and man-
agement. Correct judgments in all of
these areas must be made to be success-
ful in CASE. The management issues
and the people issues are especially crit-

ical. There are many examples of CASE
stralegies that have failed due to a lack

sl attention to these issues in making
Uon to a new development, en-

v provide tajetm of the IBM Reposi-
lives with 'Ormatlon-systems (IS)

development: technigues will redu

Cosis and increase the pli zno of
implementing them.

Organizations planning for CASE

seme use diagramming technigues,
such as entity-relationshi diagrams, as
well as data-modeling and O beE niša!
eling technigues. Above al], they should
plan to use the most powerful develop-

ment methodologies available, such as

information engineering, to build the

strategic applications of the 19905. In-
formation engineering is a methodology
that was specifically designed to sup-
port the development of the complex,
mission-critical applications reguired for
the computerized company of the
future.

Managers need to learn how to imple-
ment new business thrusts faster than
their competition through the use of
high-end, integrated CASE tools and
methodologies that are optimized for
high-speed development. A large part of
the success of high-speed development

depends on building an infrastructure. It

is possible to develop applications on a
project-by-project basis with no infra-

Fout Essential Aspects

ticulate a strategy for CASE. The man-
ager must understand the fast applica-
tion life cycle and reusability, and be —
able to select CASE tools that, meet the
evolving needs of the organization.

It is important to select tools that, are
highly integrated and that support the
IBM Repository standard. Unfortunately,
the IBM Repository is not available,
even in June 1990, it will still be a frag-
ment of what is available now in the re-
positories of highly integrated CASE
tools from third-party vendors. The re-
positories in these tools are being rapid-
ly brought into compliance with IBM s
Repository.

Some of them are also supported by

— a po TINE ma o pr ——
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|

Of Fast Application Development O.

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i dio ii 4, 4

When Building a CASE Strabebs
High-Speed o. |

bodi Ca]

|

Applicatiori Development

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ZE] V / Manadement

With a repository standard, users of compliant CASE tools
will be able to share design specifications, while CASE
vendors will be able to compete in an open environment.

structure at all, but development will he
much faster if resources AME Me
a hg level ot porn hat Promotes
and resa ty, oba Al

— "0 achleve fast development, the |
methodology must resemble a finely '
Wuned clock, in which all the
a LIV 0f the gears do not
a pment will not proceed ata

An important asne

| | t | sej
CASE is selection of tna ble LEE lor

The manager can be described as the
vice president of CASE—someone wh
clearly understands the critical RA
factors of the organization and can ar.

Bears mesh

very detailed methodologies, such as the
Information Engineering Methodology
from James Martin Associates.
Productivity improvements of two to
three times over conventional tech-
nigues are guite achievable with high-
end, integrated CASE tools, including .
the effort devoted to extensive front-end
design activities. Such improvements do
not reguire sophisticated development
a bdologica
- ere are many examples of corpora:
ka that have kam productivity
Ie cine of 10, and many of these do
tion ee a such as informa:
result of single project they were the
project, development. It

is much easier to demonstrate results

guickly with single project development —
than it is witi formation engineering,

because information engineering re-
guires approximately two to three years
to build the infrastructure. However,
once it is in place, it is possible to build
applications fast, consistently.

To effectively monitor produttivity, it
must be consistently measured. Top
management should be informed that a
metrics program is being put in place
and that measurements of productivity
will be reported to them on a regular
basis. This may alarm some personnel
because it gives the CEO a means of
measuring the success of the IS depart-
ment. However, consistent measurement
and reporting of productivity gains are
a powerful way of attracting and retain:
ing the interest of top management in a
CASE strategy.

Some CASE vendors are beginning to
provide metrics automatically from in-
formation stored in the repository, but
much more needs to be done. As the an-
alyst creates design diagrams, the sys-
tem can track the number of inputs,
outputs, inguiries, files, interfaces and
algorithms. These measurements can be
expressed in the form of funetion
points, which are a measure of the com:
plexity of the module. As the design
progresses, the funetion-point estimate is
refined. Before entering the construction
phase, a detailed funection-point compu-
tation is made, which can be combined
with other project-management informa-
tion to provide productivity measure:
ments. All CASE vendors should provide
these metrics automatically.

Choosing the Right Vendors

Another important: step that organiza-
tions can take now to prepare for the
introduction of advanced applications-
development, environments such as
AD/Cycle is to select CASE vendors
who have committed to the common Re-
pository standard. As of last, week, 32
CASE vendors have pledged support. for
IBM's AD/Cycle Repository.

in summary, the successful implemen-
tation of a CASE strategy relies on
many factors. Primary among these is
attracting the interest and support of
top management. Additional factors
leading to success include selection of a
highly integrated CASE tool and a meth-
odology that is optimized for high-speed
development. Issues involving training,
motivating and educating the develop-
ment staff may be more important to
the successful introduction of CASE
than technology issues. The management
of cultural change within an organiza-
tion will be a major challenge for the
computerized company of the 19905. H

To learn more about the subject of
these articles, please call The James
Martin Report, an information service
updated guarterly, at (800) 242-1240.
For information on seminars, please
contact (in the United States and Can-
ada.) Technology Transfer Institute,
741 10th St., Santa Monica, Calif.
90402 (213) 394-8305. In Europe, con:
tact Savant, 2 New St., Carnforth,
Lancs., LA5 9BX United Kingdom
(0524) 734 505.

"Ti ašankotad ER: en —a k. Sidi — z s "

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