Best Practices
Smith Systems Consulting’s analysis of Riordan Manufacturing’s processes and
procedures reveals that to continue to be “an industry leader in the field of plastic injection
molding” Riordan needs to make improvements (Apollo Group, Inc., 2004, Index Page, para. 1).
Smith Systems Consulting recommends changes to documentation, maintenance, and support
procedures to help Riordan stay at the top of the plastics industry. The focus of the
recommendations is the adoption of “best practices” for software developed in-house but also
can be relevant for any commercial off-the-shelf software Riordan may acquire. The first set of
best practices is for improving documentation procedures.
Documentation
Documentation is important for any software development project. Documentation has
many purposes from providing the plan for shaping the software, recording the software
development process, to guiding users with software operation, troubleshooting, and
maintenance. Documentation is a resource for every phase of a development project so the first
“best practice” is to start the documentation process from the very beginning of each project. The
RAD and prototyping methods Smith Systems Consulting suggests for Riordan’s software
development require less complete documentation of software requirements in the early stages of
the SDLC, so the documentation created must be clear, accurate, and well structured so adding
additional information as the project progresses is an easy process.
The “best practice” for accomplishing clear, accurate, and well structured documentation
is to incorporate static testing in every development phase, although it is not a requirement
required for the installation phase (Everett & McLeod, 2007). Static testing reduces software
defects by reducing inaccuracies in the documentation the software is built from (Everett &
McLeod, 2007). The first step of static testing is to make documentation formatting (grammar,
spelling, punctuation) accurate. This technique’s name is desk checking and is usually done by
the author of the document. Next, document content testing happens through an independent
source. Finally, static testing involves a walk-through of the document by the author and relevant
stakeholders (Everett & McLeod, 2007).
Maintenance and Support
Maintenance and support of both in-house and off-the-shelf software is important to
reduce the risk of down time for Riordan Manufacturing. “Maintenance and system enhancement
activities ensure that the system functions at peak efficiency and that needed changes are
implemented with minimal disruption to the organization” (Satzinger, Jackson, Burd, & Johnson,
2004, p. 665). After software or system implementation, bugs discovered will need to fixing,
small improvements to existing functionality may need to be implemented, or upgrades to newer
versions performed.
Application and system bugs have to be evaluated for their level of risk to the company.
If a bug is determined to be high risk, Riordan’s programmers will have to create a fix and
implement the fix with a maintenance release. The same holds true if feedback from users for
improvements to the system or an application’s functionality is deemed worthy of making
changes or performing an upgrade. Documenting and tracking user feedback and maintenance
releases is just as important as documenting and tracking the original software development
project (Satzinger, et.al., 2004).
The best practice of reviewing and updating system and software documentation on a
regular basis is Smith Systems Consulting suggestion to improve Riordan’s maintenance process.
Keeping documentation up-to-date ensures support personnel have the tools they need to keep
the system or software running at its best. Creating a maintenance schedule for testing Riordan’s
systems or software against benchmarks will proactively identify potential problems before they
negatively affect Riordan’s ability to meet their customer’s expectations. Adding a regular
schedule for maintenance of the systems, applications, and documentation Riordan employs is an
important process change that will help Riordan keep their company functioning efficiently.
Each time a change is made to a system or to software, users need training. This training
and support can come in many forms such as online documentation, a company expert, help
desk, or technical support (Satzinger et. al., 2004). Smith Systems Consulting recommends
Riordan include some form of user training be part of every maintenance release.
Best Practice Tools
The best way for Riordan to incorporate the suggested best practices within their
processes and procedures is to add a project tracking tool to its arsenal. One such tool
recommended by Smith Systems Consulting for Riordan is OnTime. OnTime is designed for use
in software development (Axosoft, LLC., 2010). OnTime is available as a Visual Studio plug in
(Smith Systems Consulting recommended software development tool for Riordan), requires
minimal training, and provides the entire project team with an extremely customizable project
tool (Axosoft, LLC., 2010).
Resouces
Apollo Group, Inc., (2004). Riordan Manufacturing. Index Page. Retrieved April 3, 2010, BSA385 – Introduction to Software Engineering. https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/cist
/vop/Business/Riordan/Internet/IndexPort.htm.
Axosoft, LLC. (2010). OnTime Overview. Retrieved April 3, 2010, from
http://www.axosoft.com/ontime
Everett, G.D., & McLeod, R. Jr. (2007). Software Testing: Testing Across the Entire Software
Development Cycle. Retrieved April 3, 2010, from University of Phoenix, BSA385 –
Introduction to Software Engineering Course Website.
Satzinger, J., Jackson, R., Burd, S., & Johnson, R. (2004). System Analysis and Design in a
Changing World. Retrieved April 3, 2010, from University of Phoenix, BSA385 –
Introduction to Software Engineering Course Website.