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CRDSS <br />TASK MEMORANDUM 1.05-22 <br />Study of System Integration Issues <br />Software - Software Changes During the Prototyping Cycle <br />1.0 ISSUE <br />Software that is part of the CRDSS undergoes prototype cycles involving redesign and corresponding <br />recoding and implementation. Different CRDSS products (e.g., models, database utilities) have <br />prototype cycles of varying length, depending on the complexity of the product and its dependence <br />on other CRDSS components. Stable product prototypes are installed periodically on the Briefing <br />Room machine for evaluation by State personnel and interested users. <br />The following issues must be addressed in order to provide an environment that facilitates the <br />development of improved prototypes while sustaining a stable Briefing Room prototype: <br />What will be the general development schedule for the CRDSS software? <br />? <br />How will prototype revisions be tracked? <br />? <br />How can a stable prototype be saved while allowing development on the next prototype <br />? <br />version? <br />How will the prototype system be tested so that the version on the Briefing Room machine <br />? <br />performs as expected? <br />How often will the prototype system be updated? <br />? <br />How will users/reviewers be notified of new prototype versions and their associated <br />? <br />features? <br />2.0 DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS <br />Testing the CRDSS using a series of prototypes installed on the Briefing Room machine provides <br />valuable feedback to the development team. However, it also poses technical challenges to the <br />development team because more than one version of the system exists at any time (the stable <br />prototype system, and the evolving system that is being worked on by developers). The prototype <br />system installed on the Briefing Room machine must be tested sufficiently so that the system does <br />not contain bugs that will thwart the evaluation efforts of users. Each stable prototype is ?frozen? <br />until the next prototype is installed on the Briefing Room machine. <br />The CRDSS is a complex system consisting of several interrelated but somewhat distinct subsystems <br />(e.g., database, water rights planning model, etc.). Consequently, separate CRDSS components are <br />updated on different schedules. It is unlikely that the entire system will ever be updated each time <br />that a new prototype version is installed on the Briefing Room machine because some work <br />progresses faster than other work and needs to be subject to evaluation sooner. <br />1 <br />A275 01.08.95 1.05-22 Malers <br />