Overview On The Software Crisis Information Technology Essay

Overview On The Software Crisis Information Technology Essay The term software crisis has been used since the late 1960s to describe those recurring system development problems in which software development problems cause the entire system to be late, over budget, not responsive to the user and/or customer requirements, and difficult to use, maintain, and enhance. The software development level is lower than the hardware manufacturing level because the hardware are manufactured fast and the software development takes more time. The construction of new software that is both pleasing to the user/buyer and without latent errors is an unexpectedly hard problem. It is perhaps the most difficult problem in engineering today, and has been recognized as such for more than 15 years. It is often referred to as the software crisis. It has become the longest continuing crisis in the engineering world, and it continues unabated. Software is the set of instructions that govern the actions of a programmable machine. Software includes application programs, sy stem software, utility software, and firmware. Software does not include data, procedures, people, and documentation. In this tutorial, software is synonymous with computer programs. Because software is invisible, it is difficult to be certain of development progress or of product completeness and quality. Index terms software crisis, Reasons, impact. 1. INTRODUCTION:- Poorly functioning computer software is nowadays probably the largest source of annoyance after traffic jams and bad weather. The most often heard complaints about software are that it is buggy, that it does not function adequately, that it is too expensive, and that it is delivered late. Of course, one can wonder whether these grievances are really very consequential; judging from the large amount of money spent on software, apparently it is worth it. However, it is clear that the public expects better achievement from the software industry. Many software engineering experts believe the development of software is a hard to control process for which there are no methods and techniques available .This state of affairs is often referred to as the software crisis. Software crisis is a term used in the early days of software engineering. The term was used to describe the impact of rapid increases in computer power and the complexity of the problems which could be tackled. This was with regards to the difficulty in writing correct, understandable and verifiable computer programs.   software is not manufactured like hardware; it does not have a production phase nor manufactured spare parts like hardware; it is typically custom-built, not assembled from existing components like hardware. Even in todays society, software is viewed with suspicion by many individuals, such as senior managers and customers, as somewhat akin to black magic. The result is that software is one of the most difficult artifacts of the modern world to develop and build. Software is often too complex to be entirely understood by a single individual. We can try to manage complexity by dividing the system into subsystems, but, as systems grow, the interaction between subsystems increases non-linearly. It is notoriously difficult to establish an adequate and stable set of requirements for a software system. Often there are hidden assumptions, there is no analytic procedure for determining when the users have told the developers everything they need to know, and developers and users do not have a common understanding of terms used. Perhaps the first mention of the software crisis in the secondary literature on the history of computing came in Michael S. Mahoneys landmark 1988 paper The History of Computing in the History of Technology. This was Mahoneys first published paper on computing, though by this point his interest in the topic had been growing for some years and he had already educated himself by auditing the core series of undergraduate computer science classes at Princeton. The interaction between the different parts of a system makes change difficult. Software is essentially thought stuff (that is, the result of a thought process) and much of what is important about software is not manifest in the programs themselves (such as the reasons for making design decisions). A requirements specification for a system contains, perhaps implicitly, an application domain model (for example, describing the rules of air traffic). Development of application domain theories is very difficult. Because software development depends on an educated workforce and good communications rather than on a fixed plant of any kind, software is inherently a suitable export product for developing countries. Although the US is still strong in software design and project management, the article notes that third world countries-notably India and Far Eastern countries-are capable of producing many more lines of code per dollar. Today software engineering is fairly popular academic field of study, with conferences, journals, and degree programs. However historians have noted with some frequency that basic debates over its identity were never really resolved and that the rhetoric of a crisis in software development has likewise endured for many decades. Nothing in the broad outline of this established narrative is altogether false. Yet the increasingly entrenched position of the software crisis and the 1968 NATO Conference in the historical literature has gradually led to the distortion of their actual nature, historical significance, and context. At the same time, surprisingly little attention has been paid to the actual background, experiences and intellectual interests of the conference attendees or to the spread of the software crisis concept after the conference itself. I begin with a review of the software crisis concept and 1968 NATO Conference in the secondary historical literature, from their first appearance in 1988 to the present day. Over time the implied scope of the software crisis has grown, as has the implied importance of software engineering as a new identity for programming practice. In the rest of the paper I go back to the original sources to try to reconstruct the actual significance of the meeting and its associated crisis, and to sketch some neglected aspects of the broader history of software and programming in order to better contextualize them. Term software has led to widespread misinterpretation of the scope of the crisis, which was initially understood to afflict only operating systems and programming languages. This leads to an analysis of the backgrounds and affiliations of the participants, from which I conclude that almost all were oriented toward research rather than development, and to systems software rather than applications. Among the groups not represented at the conference were data processing managers (responsible for administrative computing program development within computer using organizations), business school experts on computer use, the managers of large industrial software development projects, specialists in data base management systems, and representatives of software product companies. From the perspectives of these other groups, particularly data processing, neither the NATO Conference nor software engineering nor does the software crisis loom very large. Instead I document a range of computer rel ated crises and chronic complains from the 1950s onward, most of which are constructed as failure to meet the goals of the broader organization rather than being seen narrowly as failures of software. 2. Reasons The reasons for software crisis are as follows: 2.1 Poor/inadequate planning:-It is necessary to plan before what we are going to develop so, if the proper planning is not done then it results in poor software. 2.2 Lose control and review:-Formal and technical reviews ensures the software quality and helps in error finding so, if reviews are not done there will be not proper development. 2.3 Technical incompetence:-Good Technical support is very important because this include the function and the code which results the output. So, technical incompetence results in software crisis. 2.4 Non-engineering approach:-If the development is lacking the engineering approach. 2.5 Projects running over-budget:-Any project requires an amount in developing the project to meet the resources, human resource or machines. So if there will be less budget then the project development will be affected. 2.6 Projects running over-time:-It is very important that the project should be delivered at the right time. So the project running over time will result to software crisis. 2.7 Software was of low quality:-Software should be of good quality means that the output should be proper and the graphics should be user friendly. 2.8 Software often did not meet requirements:-The software should meet the requirements of user. In software validation this is checked that is the software is meeting the requirements of the user or not. 2.9 Projects were unmanageable and code difficult to maintain:-The unmanageable code results in difficulty in maintenance of the project . There are a number of reasons why software construction is an inherently hard process to master. Specification plays a central role here; therefore, better means of specification improve productivity. One way of achieving this may be the use of formal specification languages. 3.IMPACT The following are the impacts of the software crisis. 3.1 The software will be not up to the mark of hardware. The manufacturing speed of the hardware is faster then the development of the software which results the software crisis. so, the impact of this is that the level of the hardware produces is not matched with the software. 3.2 Incompetence between the hardware and the software. 4.REFRENCES: 4.1http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Software_crisis 4.2. Springer An Integrated Approach to Software Engineering, 3rd Edition.[14/571]. 4.3. SE-Pressman-SE-A-PRACTITIONERS-APPROACH [ 39 ].

Identity in Literature Essay

â€Å"You are not your job; you’re not how much money you have in the bank. You are not the car you drive. You’re not the contents of your wallet. You are not your fucking khakis. You are all singing, all dancing crap of the world. † In this excerpt from the book Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, the main character screams this at the group of men standing in front of him while laying down the rules before the first fight of the night. This repetitive and forceful series of statements is directly challenging exactly what the men have always assumed they hold dear and they above all else know: their identities. Identity can be discussed and addressed in many different ways in many diverse media outlets. In the following analyzed and critiqued essays by Bruno Bettelheim, Raymond Carver, and Jorge Luis Borges respectively: the theme of identity is conferred by the phases of establishment, alteration, uncertainty, and realization. The first essay to be analyzed is Bruno Bettelheim’s. In the essay â€Å"The Introduction to the Uses of Enchantment† by Bruno Bettelheim, the writer and psychologist discusses the number of functions that traditional and folk fairy tales can and have served. He says in this work that fairy tales are crucial to children and their development because they encourage the development of the children’s identity. In a direct excerpt from his essay, this is directly addressed. Communicating in a manner which reaches the uneducated mind of the child as well as that of the sophisticated adult . . . airy tales carry important messages to the conscious, the preconscious, and the unconscious mind, on whatever level each is functioning at the time. By dealing with universal human problems, particularly those which preoccupy a child’s mind, these stories speak to his budding ego and encourage its development, while at the same time relieving preconscious and unconscious pressures† (235). Here, the author describes how the fairy tales in question have been able to aide in the development of children’s psychological workings and, in turn, the establishment of the understanding of their self-identity. This is quite easily understood in remembrance of the fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood, which warns young boys and girls to avoid strangers as well as be extremely cautious when traveling alone. Fairy tales teach children that â€Å"struggle against severe difficulties in life is unavoidable† (237). Besides the reading of fairy tales, every day experience also leads to the change in associative identity. In Raymond Carter’s â€Å"Cathedral†, there is a very subtle yet directly significant change in identity and understanding within the main character. The main character is a very assumptive man with very little more to say on a subject other than he likes or doesn’t like it, almost as if he doesn’t really care. When the blind friend named Robert of his wife visits, his entire perspective is changed. At the end, the line, â€Å"My eyes were still closed. I was in my house. I knew that. But I didn’t feel like I was inside anything† (126), the main character experiences Robert’s world of seeing things without actually seeing; metaphorically, his eyes were opened while they were closed. The main character can now suddenly understand that all his preconceived assumptions and notions were just stereotypes when, in reality, they life of the blind man might even be more fulfilling than that of those who can see normally. This essay is showing the alteration in identity within the main character because suddenly, he is open to the idea that Robert is nothing that he assumed and is truly someone to revere and look up to. This changes his identity because one’s mindset is directly related to the identity that one has. Another type of identity change occurs within the next essay. While there are two specific selected works by Jorge Luis Borges that are closely associated with identity, the first to be discussed will be â€Å"The Circular Ruins. † In this essay, the author writes of a magician creating the perfect son within his mind and dreaming him into a type of existence separate from the waking life of the magician himself. In the end, he experiences something that changes his entire life and perspective of things. â€Å"He recalled that, of all the creatures of the world, fire was the only one that knew his son was a phantom . . . ut then he knew that death was coming to crown his old age and absolve him of his labors. He walked into the shreds of flame. But they did not bite his flesh; they caressed him and engulfed him without heat or combustion. With relief, with humiliation, with terror, he understood that he too was a mere appearance, dreamt by another† (49 and 50). This is a definite change in the magician’s identity and the perfect representation of a revision to a previous identity. His encounter with the fire shows that he is actually a dream himself, not his â€Å"son. This is a change in identity because what he thought was a real life and existence his entire life was actually the dream of another person on a different plane from him. His realization to this fact allows an entire transformation of character and identity as he will begin the road to coping with his new-found knowledge. This is significant because it reinforces the fact that what one person thought they were their entire lives could actually all be challenged and defeated in one brief and exact moment. Another way of challenging the identity of a person is through a spiritual enlightenment that leads to further recognition of one’s self. In the second analyzed essay by Jorge Luis Borges, there is a somewhat similar but slightly altered message of identity. In â€Å"The Writing of the God,† the main character Tzinacan is tortured and starved by the conquistador Pedro de Alvarado. Tzinacan goes through a change of identity when he suddenly goes through a stage of enlightenment from being imprisoned and left to his own devices in a sandy prison. â€Å". . there occurred union with the deity; union with the universe. . . I saw a wheel of enormous height, which was not before my eyes, or behind them, or to the sides, but everywhere at once. This wheel was made of water, but also of fire, and although I could see its boundaries, it was infinite. It was made of all things that shall be, that are, and that have been, all intertwined, and I was one of the strands within that all-encompassing fabric. . . † (253). This direct excerpt shows Tzinacan’s sudden moment of understanding and knowledge. Here, is an abrupt recognition that he is not one man with one status or one purpose but is instead one with everything and nothing at once. His acknowledgment that he is linked with all things but without all those other things and parts to the universe, he ceases to exist at all. This is an example of an alteration to identity because Tzinacan goes from being a high and mighty priest who was captured and tortured to simply another thread in universal web of occurrences with each creature created by a higher being. Identity is how we as human beings associate or disassociate ourselves with others. We find our own identity from life experiences and distinguish that identity from the pressures of society when compared to one’s own strength of will. A young woman may dissipate her identity by the men she is involved with, or the young man might engorge his identity by the job promotion he just received and the luxurious cars he drives. These identities are ever-changing and expansive, within our own minds and within the population of history. From the fairy tales we are read as children to eye-opening events in our late-adulthood, each happenstance of personality or value helps shape who we are and who we portray ourselves to be.

Johnsonville Sausage

Johnsonville Sausage – Quality Improvement through Change Situation Post 1980, Ralph Stayer began to observe decline in quality due to inattention of the workers as well as ill-maintenance of the equipment in the production unit. With the help of Mr. Lee Thayer, Stayer has planned to implement a major change in the company’s philosophy. Transition from old philosophy purged Stayer’s responsibilities of decision making by decentralizing the power of decision making. The new philosophy was implemented to bring out changes in various departments of the company viz. management structure, personnel, compensation, manufacturing and also systems and controls. According to Thayer’s new philosophy, performance of the personnel and requirement of guidance to personnel to achieve their objectives were the key elements. Management structure was broken down by hiring experienced personnel for the new superior level management to oversee finance, marketing and operation s functions. Stayer emphasized people development as the core element of the new philosophy. Changes in personnel include development of list of responsibilities by the workers themselves and eliminating the performance review process.These changes in personnel function led changes in compensation with the implementation of â€Å"company performance share† program which increased individual responsibility of workers. However this transition was not in agreement among workers while some are excited about it. In terms of manufacturing changes, lead persons were installed at various departments, eliminating supervisors, to seek information and provide necessary measures to train and improve capacities of workers under designated group. Responsibilities of lead person also include development of budget planning and production requirement planning.Job switching and alternating works were practiced to enrich workers’ capabilities and enhance performance and also job satisfac tion. System and controls changes included individuals to develop and be accountable for their own budgets and forecasts and also allow them to analyze performance data. In addition, subordinates were needed to self-evaluate their performance to respective managers. Problem The main issue of the case is the resistance shown by the personnel towards the company’s philosophy transition. According to Stayer, upon implementation of new philosophy, workers at all level were expected to embrace the change.Instead, the company faced issues related to the final goal of the implementation, unsuccessful organization structural changes, clash of responsibilities among the workers, participation of less number of employees in the company decision making process and finally lack of high job satisfaction. However, these issues were expected to expire once the transition is complete. Palmer Sausage offered its consolidated business to Johnsonville but the issue here was whether Stayer could handle an expanded Palmer contract.Stayer examined the situation by understanding that in order to run the contract the company would require to recruit and train a big set of people along with existing people acquiring new skills and retain high quality on both the in-house and Palmer products. In order to achieve this, Johnsonville needs to run the production six or seven days a week for more than a year until its new plant was ready. On the other hand, the company may need to run the business at risk i. e. , if Palmer canceled the contract with 30-day prior notice leaves Johnsonville not only with massive layoffs and but also huge inventory with no market for it.Analysis As the year 1980 folded, Stayer recognizes to restructure his management structure for the growing company. Stayer also realized that there was decline in the quality of the products and employees were also demotivated to work. Later on, in collaboration with Thayer Lee, Stayer has planned to implement new philo sophy which is focused on performance and helps people accomplish their objectives through well-defined job descriptions, clear understanding on performance standards, and providing the required resources. Johnsonville’s new values are based on deep moral commitment to the individual.The main aim of the transition is to augment people capacities, rather than the business. Stayer changed view of his autocratic leadership to a role as a leader delegating his subordinates rather than directing them. Furthermore, the new philosophy also motivated each worker to commit to the company’s betterment. Upon full transition, Stayer expects to create an atmosphere of constant learning and development. The transition also supports creativity, encourages responsibility, and empowers employees to develop solutions rather than simply follow orders.Over the period of time, the company’s organizational structure was transformed in support to the new culture of worker empowerment. Autocratic management was decentralized in order to become more democratic. Conventional management position were replaced by lead persons and their teams who controlled their own compensation, hiring, firing, quality control, and near-and long-term company goals. Several ground-breaking solutions were instigated and evaluated and each member of the company was involved for the company’s success.Moreover, a rewarding compensation system was implemented to retain employees and hone their skills and performance. Over-the-time, Stayer had achieved a complete organizational transformation successfully. In terms of Palmer’s offer, Stayer has two recommendations – either he can accept or decline to take over the Palmer’s business. If Stayer had taken over the business, they might have the advantages of the opportunity for growth and additional revenue. On this regard, private label business offers a 25% return on assets.Contrariwise, the deal clashes with John sonville’s recent business strategy which prevents the company to push private label business over 15%. The company could compete for capital with the rest of the business once it crosses 15%. In addition to this, the company, while in contract with Palmer, is producing at huge capacity utilization. If the deal is on then the company might need to execute two long shifts for six or seven days a week in order to process the new business. Recommendation At this stand-off point, Johnsonville could be advised to accept Palmer’s deal which help the former to tap the revenue and growth opportunities.Stayer’s Johnsonville should continue to implement its new philosophy in a way that it does not affect the previous work-culture. During the agreement, Stayer should continue to involve employees in the decision making process to accept the private label business and planning to handle the additional workload as well. Apart from this, Stayer is required to motivate his tea ms to meet for evaluating staffing requirements, production and quality goals. With the involvement of workers and assigning responsibility for the important decisions, Stayer will help secure their buy-in for tackling the challenges ahead.

Globalization And The Lack Of Culture Clashes - 957 Words

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