Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!oscsuna.osc.edu!pixelpump.osc.edu!stein
From: stein@pixelpump.osc.edu (Rick 'Transputer' Stein)
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng
Subject: Re: DOD-STD-2167A
Keywords: DOD 2167A
Message-ID: <201@oscsuna.osc.edu>
Date: 1 Jun 89 00:46:16 GMT
References: <825@manta.NOSC.MIL>
Sender: news@oscsuna.osc.edu
Reply-To: stein@pixelpump.UUCP (Rick 'Transputer' Stein)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Ohio Supercomputer Center
Lines: 26

In article <825@manta.NOSC.MIL> psm@manta.nosc.mil.UUCP (Scot Mcintosh) writes:
>We do development to Department of Defense standards.  Has anyone ever
>seen a book dealing with development under DOD-STD-2167A, the so-called
>"Military Standard for Defense System Software Development"? The
>standard itself is virtually useless as a tutorial.  It looks as though
>it's striving to bring some software engineering concepts to the
>development process, but fails miserably at communicating its
>objectives and terminology (like, what's the definition of a
>'capability'?). 

Ah! The old software requirements trick again!  Having worked on several
military/industrial software projects, I know the feeling.  Capability is
a rubric for requirements (performance, features, etc).  I don't know of
a book which outlines a tutorial on 2167, but the IEEE 830/1984 Software
Requirements Standard is a good outline on standard software requirements
specifications.  The difference being that the DoD wants extra activities:
System Requirements Reviews, Preliminary Design Reviews, Critical Design
Reviews, Unit Development Folders, Integration Procedures, Acceptance
Testing, etc.  All this makes up the "God-given" software lifecycle.  That's
what the DOD wants with 2167.

-=-
Richard M. Stein (aka Rick 'Transputer' Stein)
Concurrent Software Specialist @ The Ohio Supercomputer Center
Ghettoblaster vacuum cleaner architect and Trollius semi-guru
Internet: stein@pixelpump.osc.edu