Risk management is a vital part of software system development. Lack of risk management is the major cause of software project failures. The objective of this project is to formalize, automate, and popularize the use of software risk management techniques. A new and unique computer-aided software engineering (CASE) tool will be explored. The tool fills an existing gap between project management and traditional CASE tools by automating the assessment, control, and communication of software risk. This concept supports the software management team by allowing concurrent risk management of large, complex projects such as the current NASA space station effort. It allows risks associated with high-reliability, time- and safety-critical software components, as well as overall project risk, to be consistently defined, analyzed, and documented. The documentation features will support MIL-STD and commercial software development methodologies. The personal workstation system will be designed for all popular operating systems and hardware configurations. It will integrate and share data with existing project management, CASE, and spreadsheet and database programs. A prototype of the user interface and critical functions, a requirements analysis, and a risk management plan for the effort itself will be included.This product has the potential to evolve directly into a commercial CASE product for software risk management. An additional potential exists in a generalization of the tool for risk management in acquisition, technical management, and strategic business planning.risk management, CASE, software development, project management, planningSTATUS: Phase I Only
