New Generation Project Management with Agile Practices and Model Driven Development for an Avionics control system development project Cdr. R.N. Ramachandran, Practice Head Avionics and Aerospace, Valtech India Systems |
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Systems engineers and software designers in the intensely competitive global avionic controls market face demands for complex deliverables. Concurrently, they must also meet the unique needs of real-time performance, compact code, safety, reliability, and specialized hardware control – all with extremely short time-to-market deadlines. Consequently the new technologies and process methodologies evolved has changed the face of conventional Project Management style. |
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Traditionally, avionics industry suppliers have used a Project Management process with a sequential “waterfall” model that flows from requirements analysis, design, implementation, testing, integration, and maintenance. Due to very stringent safety critical requirements adaptation of newer methodologies and technologies are approached with abundant caution. However, as delivery times grow more stringent — to as few as six weeks — some avionics controls manufacturers are investigating the benefits of switching to an Agile based project management methodology coupled with a Model Driven Architecture® (MDA®) process to speed development while gaining more quality assurance throughout the product lifecycle. This approach is more relevant to a duo-shore project management where multisite teams with diverse cultural and language barriers. While MDA has been used extensively in telecommunications, automotive, and healthcare, this approach is still new to avionics development. However, some forward thinking manufacturers in the Aircraft and Aerospace markets are starting to take notice of the productivity, reusability and quality benefits of MDA. Most importantly, some are already mandating that their avionics suppliers adopt an MDA environment as part of the contractual agreement. Yet while the promise of increased productivity, significant reduction of defects, and lowered development costs makes MDA for avionics development a very attractive alternative, MDA may not be the right approach for every project or organization. To illustrate a real-world application of MDA, this white paper discusses how the avionics division of Valtech India Systems rose to the challenge of adapting its Agile development process to an MDA environment to satisfy a major Aerospace customer’s Object Oriented (OO) Unified Modeling Language™ (UML®) 2.0 platform request. The paper will relate all the Project Management experiences, both positive and negative, of Valtech’s system designers and engineers and the lessons they learned as they worked in an MDA environment for the first time. It will also explore Valtech’s use of Telelogic Rhapsody® as their customer’s preferred modeling solution to support the MDA process, as well as the benefits and improvements Valtech achieved to maintain its CMM Level 5 status. |
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| Speaker Profile: | |
Commander R.N. Ramachandran holds a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from an Indian University, and a Master's in Computer Sciences from IIT, Mumbai, India Cdr Ramachandran hails from a Naval services background, having served over 28 years in Indian Navy from 1969 to 1998 and retired as a Commander. He had the honor of serving onboard Frigates, Aircraft Carriers and Defense Equipment Production and R&D laboratories during his tenure as Naval officer. Highlights of his career in the Military, Aerospace and Simulation space include:
In addition to his Military and business careers, Ramachandran has helped author two IEEE papers on AWACS radar tracking algorithms. He is a certified SCRUM master for Agile based project development practices, and has written white papers on Avionics and Aerospace systems and Agile practices. A white paper co-authored with Telelogic on use of Model Driven Architecture for Avionics projects was presented in Military and Aerospace Electronics (MAE) conference held at London on 20th Nov 07. |
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