Technical Report CMU/SEI-92-TR-029 ESC-TR-92-029 Ada Adoption Handbook: A Program Manager's Guide Version 2.0 William E. Hefley John T. Foreman Charles B. Engle, Jr. John B. Goodenough October 1992 Technical Report CMU/SEI-92-TR-029 ESC-TR-92-029 October 1992 Ada Adoption Handbook: A Program Manager's Guide Version 2.0 AB William E. Hefley SEI Services John T. Foreman Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Charles B. Engle, Jr. Florida Institute of Technology John B. Goodenough Real-Time Systems Program Unlimited distribution subject to the copyright. Software Engineering Institute Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213 This report was prepared for the SEI Joint Program Office HQ ESC/AXS 5 Eglin Street Hanscom AFB, MA 01731-2116 The ideas and findings in this report should not be construed as an official DoD position. It ispublished in the interest of scientific and technical information exchange. FOR THE COMMANDER (signature on file) Thomas R. Miller, Lt Col, USAF SEI Joint Program Office This work is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense. Copyright© 1992 by Carnegie Mellon University. Permission to reproduce this document and to prepare derivative works from this document for internal use is granted, provided the copyright and “No Warranty” statements are included with all reproductions and derivative works. Requests for permission to reproduce this document or to prepare derivative works of this document for external and commercial use should be addressed to the SEI Licensing Agent. NO WARRANTY THIS CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY AND SOFTWARE ENGINEERING INSTITUTE MATERIAL IS FURNISHED ON AN “AS-IS” BASIS. CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY MAKES NO WARRAN- TIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, AS TO ANY MATTER INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR PURPOSE OR MERCHANTIBILITY, EXCLUSIVITY, OR RESULTS OBTAINED FROM USE OF THE MATERIAL. CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY DOES NOT MAKE ANY WARRANTY OF ANY KIND WITH RESPECT TO FREEDOM FROM PATENT, TRADEMARK, OR COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT. This work was created in the performance of Federal Government Contract Number F19628-95-C-0003 with Carnegie Mellon University for the operation of the Software Engineering Institute, a federally funded research and development center. The Government of the United States has a royalty-free government-purpose license to use, duplicate, or disclose the work, in whole or in part and in any manner, and to have or permit others to do so, for government purposes pursuant to the copyright license under the clause at 52.227-7013. This document is available through Research Access, Inc., 800 Vinial Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15212. Phone: 1-800-685-6510. FAX: (412) 321-2994. RAI also maintains a World Wide Web home page. The URL is http://www.rai.com Copies of this document are available through the National Technical Information Service (NTIS). For informa- tion on ordering, please contact NTIS directly: National Technical Information Service, U.S. Department of Commerce, Springfield, VA 22161. Phone: (703) 487-4600. This document is also available through the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC). DTIC provides ac- cess to and transfer of scientific and technical information for DoD personnel, DoD contractors and potential con- tractors, and other U.S. Government agency personnel and their contractors. To obtain a copy, please contact DTIC directly: Defense Technical Information Center, Attn: FDRA, Cameron Station, Alexandria, VA 22304- 6145. Phone: (703) 274-7633. Use of any trademarks in this report is not intended in any way to infringe on the rights of the trademark holder. viii CMU/SEI-92-TR-29 Preface to the Second Edition This new edition of the Ada Adoption Handbook: A Program Manager's Guide extensively updates the original 1987 SEI report [109]. Since that time, over 1,500 copies of the first edition have been distributed by the SEI, and almost 500 copies by NTIS and DTIC, making this one of the most-frequently requested documents in DTIC holdings. It is impossible to estimate the number of copies of the first edition that have been reproduced and distributed by readers. In the intervening years, the technology supporting Ada has improved dramatically, Ada has come into wider use, and the mandate to use Ada for defense systems has been strengthened. This second edition is motivated by the need to update the earlier version to address current issues regarding the use of Ada. In 1987, the issues revolved around the technical adequacy of Ada, its tools, and its initial adoption and use; in 1992, the compilers and tools have greatly improved and a much larger usage base has provided experience and results to better understand the issues of adopting Ada and managing Ada projects. Today, the issues emphasize the management aspects of using Ada in the development of software- intensive systems. The intent of this second edition is to help program managers become better consumers of Ada products and systems by understanding: • the management, personnel, and technical implications of Ada • Ada's role in the software development process Understanding these topics will aid managers in moving their organizations toward widespread use of Ada in building and maintaining software-intensive systems. CMU/SEI-92-TR-29 ix x CMU/SEI-92-TR-29 Acknowledgements As part of the development of this document, we received assistance, reviews, and comments from a wide spectrum of people, including: • Ada technologists • Department of Defense (DoD) policy makers • system developers and support organizations • DoD and industry program managers We thank them all. We are also grateful to the following individuals who gave so generously of their time: Neal Altman, SEI Audrey Hook, Institute for Defense Analyses Christine M. Anderson, Phillips Laboratory, USAF Steve Jacobs, TRW Judy Bamberger, Loral Western Development Labs Kent Johnson, Software Productivity Consortium Rick Barbour, SEI Reed Little, SEI Capt. Jim Cardow, USAF, Steven Litvintchouk, MITRE Air Force Institute of Technology Robert Mathis Susan Carlson, Nancy Mead, SEI Ada Information Clearinghouse Geoff Mendal, Currie Colket, Ada Joint Program Office Systems Engineering Research Corporation Pat Donohoe, SEI Jim Moore, IBM Les Dupaix, Software Technology Support Cdr. Melinda Moran, USN, Naval Computers and Center, USAF Telecommunications Command Michael Feldman, George Washington University Patricia Oberndorf, Naval Air Warfare Center Robert Fritz, Orincon Corporation John Pates, SEI Dale Gaumer, Magnavox Electronic Systems Tom Ralya, SEI Company Gordon Smith, Southern Methodist University Col. Rick Gross, USAF Doug Waugh, SEI The authors express special appreciation to several of our colleagues for their exacting reviews and pragmatic insights: Nelson Weiderman, Dan Roy, and Daniel Burton, all of the Software Engineering Institute. This second edition of this handbook has also benefited from a tutorial seminar Adopting Ada: Manage- ment Perspective that has been presented at a number of conferences and meetings, including SIGAda and TRI-Ada, and as an elective within the Program Manager's Course at the Defense Systems Manage- ment College. The tutorial is derived from the two volumes of the Ada Adoption Handbook series, specifi- cally: A Program Manager's Guide [109] and Compiler Evaluation and Selection [226]. John Goodenough, John Foreman, Dan Burton, Judy Bamberger, and Bill Hefley contributed to the various versions of this seminar. Our heartfelt thanks go to all the attendees and students who have indirectly contributed by asking hard questions and bringing their concerns with them. Additionally, Sandra Bond (Software Engineering Institute Information Management group) has been in- valuable throughout the preparation of two editions of this handbook for trying to "make every word count." CMU/SEI-92-TR-29 xi Ada Adoption Handbook: A Program Manager's Guide Abstract. The Ada Adoption Handbook provides program managers with information about how best to tap Ada's strengths and manage the transition to fully using this software tech- nology. Although the issues are complex, they are not all unique to Ada. Indeed, many of the issues addressed in this handbook must be addressed when developing any software-intensive system in any programming language. The handbook addresses the advantages and risks in adopting Ada. Significant emphasis has been placed on providing information and suggesting methods that will help program and project managers succeed in using Ada across a broad range of application domains. The handbook focuses on the following topics: Ada's goals and benefits; program management issues; implications for education and training; software tools with emphasis on compiler valida- tion and quality issues; the state of Ada technology as it relates to system design and im- plementation; and the pending update of the Ada language standard (Ada 9X). 1. Introduction 1.1. Purpose and Scope Ada is a programming language for developing software, including information systems, mission-critical, and embedded applications. This handbook presents program managers with information to make effective use of Ada. This handbook1 provides program managers with information about how best to tap Ada's strengths and incorporate this software technology into their programs. Although the issues are sometimes complex, adopting Ada can be managed. Similar issues must be addressed when using any programming lan- guage for building sophisticated software-intensive systems. Although Ada's