msh30@ruts.ccc.amdahl.com (Mark Hahn) (02/01/91)
In article <11523@ucrmath.ucr.edu> trout@ucrmath.ucr.edu (michael griffith) writes: >I am managing a student project (26 people, 10 weeks), and I would >like to find a utility that generates PERT graphs, Gantt charts, or >something similar. It must be able to be updated daily, and should >produce useful schedules as output. > >We have Suns running SunOS 4.1 so BSD, SYSV, Sunview, X, and OpenLook >applications will run just fine. Please reply via email and I will >summarize responses to this news group. > > Thank you, > Michael A. Griffith > trout@ucrmath.ucr.edu In article <1229@babcock.cerc.wvu.wvnet.edu> londono@cathedral.cerc.wvu.wvnet.edu (Felix Londono) writes: >Looking for any references to X based Project Management Tools. > >Thanks, > >Felix Londono A couple of weeks ago I requested information on project management software running under X. As promised, here is a summary of the responses I received. It sounds like there isn't much available yet. Most of the responses suggested SunTrac, a Sun Microsystems product, which I believe runs under SunView, not under X. The other possibility is GECOMO Plus, which seems to be more of an estimation tool than a scheduling/tracking tool. Anybody want to become rich and famous by porting MacProject II to X? Summary follows (long): ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Alun Jones <tharr!gombo@relay.EU.net> Open Plan from Welcom Software is now available under Unix. When I can get people here organised enough, I intend to be sent on a course to learn X-Windows (I can get all I want from books, but it would help to have some real qualifications!). Once I know X-Windows, I'm going to develop X-versions of most of Open Plan's executables. (Time analysis, Resource scheduling, Reporting, etc.) The bits that you mention - graphical input of time bars - sounds like you want an X-windows version of Project Executive - a part of Open Plan designed to be used exactly as you describe. I think we're probably looking at a time lapse of about six months or so before X-Open (giggle) Plan begins to be saleable. (That may be optimistic, I don't yet know what X-Windows can do - it's not available yet for my tinny SCO Unix) I hope this information helps you, if you want more information about Open Plan in general, I suggest you contact our American headquarters. (Unix development is done in the U.K., so I can't guarantee how much help they'll be for Unix) They are based at: Welcom Software Technology Suite 275 15995 North Barkers Landing Houston Texas 77079 (telephone number is 0101-713-558-0514 from UK - I don't know how much of that is STD code for America) Cheers, Alun. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: kung@evax.utarl.edu (Chenho Kung) Excellent descriptions of COCOMO can be found in Pressman, R. "Software Engineering: a practitioner's approach", McGraw-Hill, 1987. or Fairley, R. "Software Engineering Concepts", McGraw-Hill, 1985. SunTrac on Sun can draw PERT, generate Gantt chart, and does the things that you want. Chenho ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: motcid!bronze!gowgiel@uunet.UU.NET (Jim Gowgiel) A few months ago, I posted a similar request for material for the Sun 3/xx workstations, running SunView. I got very few responses. The responses I did get mostly suggested SunTrac (from Sun Microsystems), which we already use. It does some of what you request (pert networks, gantt charts, scheduling, etc.). Contact Sun for info. I also caught the article posted regarding GECOMO (actually, the one I got was for GECOMO Plus): >> ... >> ... >> You might try a product I just saw at TRI-Ada (although it's not Ada >> specific) called GECOMO Plus. It's both a planning (based on the >> COCOMO model) as well as tracking tool. We plan to get a copy to >> evaluate at some point as we've been generally unimpressed with such >> tools running on Suns. The address is: >> >> GEC Marconi Software Systems >> 12110 Sunset Hills Road >> Reston, VA 22090 >> 703/648-1551 (Voice) or 703/476-8035 (FAX) >> >> Paul Raymond (Technical Support Manager) was who I talked to >> >> I have no connection with GEC Marconi, and would be interested in >> any experiences anyone else has with their products. >> -- >> Stu Lewin Lockheed Sanders, Inc. >> Ada Projects Leader PO Box 2034, MER24-1583C >> Signal Processing Center of Technology Nashua, NH 03061-2034 >> uunet!rocket!lewin 603/885-0179 (Voice) >> (or) lewin@rocket.sanders.com 603/885-0631 (FAX) Most of the other responses I received were requests for summaries of the information that I do get. It seems that there is alot of people that want the info, but nobody really knows what's out there that can be used (or they don't share the info :-) ). Anyway, I did not receive much info that I did not already know. However, if you do hear of anything really good, I would surely appreciate any info. Thanks in advance. Jim Gowgiel 1501 W. Shure Drive Motorola Inc. Arlington Heights, IL 60004 uucp: ..!uunet!motcid!gowgiel (708) 632-4753 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: dob@inel.gov (Dave Brooks) There briefly follows a description of the GECOMO and GEST project management tools, but first can I ask you for a postal address so that we can send to you the datasheets on these products. Our main office is in the UK the details are:- Contact Name : John Aspinall (Marketing Manager) Telephone No.: 081 953 2030 Fax No. : 081 906 6362 Address : GEC Marconi Software Systems Elstree Way Borehamwood Hertfordshire WD6 1RX England We have a US office which you can contact, the details are:- Contact Names : Susie Boers or Paul Raymond or Bill Shaw Telephone No. : 703 648 1551 Fax No. : 703 476 8035 Address : GEC Marconi Software Systems 121100 Sunset Hills Road Suite 450 Reston Virginia 22090 I'm afraid that our US office does not have email yet so they cannot be contacted by that method. GECOMO PLUS GECOMO Plus is a cost estimation package that estimates software cost and software effort in terms of man-months and duration. This cost and effort can be split over a six phase distribution (From Requirements to Maintenance). For individual phases cost and effort can be split again over ten activity distributions (including Project Management, Design and Configuration Management). Estimates can also be broken down over particular subsystems rather that just over the whole development project to give greater flexability. GECOMO Plus is an implementation of Dr Barry Boehms "Detailed COCOMO" model with a number of extensions. These extensions include an Ada Process Model to give greater Ada lifecycle support, an Increment Development Model to compromise functional and time requirements through the use of development increments, a Staff Assignment Model to match real staff resources onto an ideal estimate. The inputs to the model are the type of development being undertaken, the software component hierarchy, these component sizes and eighteen cost attributes or drivers covering product, personnel, computer and project areas. These cost drivers can be different for each component. In the near future GECOMO Plus will be able to import from the GEST Function Point tool component sizes based on a Function Point count of that component. The tool support for GECOMO Plus is provided through a graphical user interface based on X Window System and OSF/Motif technology. The tool uses an efficient database to hold the GECOMO Model equation constants and actual project estimate data. Configurable report generation includes ascii text and high quality Postscript. Online help for each stage if tool usage is provided. Support services provided include installation, full product documentation, technical support, training courses and expert consultancy. GECOMO Plus is presently available on the following platforms: Sun3/Sparc Under SunOS HP9000 Under HP-UX IBM RS/6000 Under AIX DEC Vax Under VMS APOLLO Under SR/10 (near future) Other ports are under consideration. For pricing please contact the US office above. GEST GEST is a Function Point Analysis package that estimates a projects Function Point count based on known characteristics of a project. A Function Point is an abstract quality and has many uses through the development life-cycle. A function point is calculated from a weighted sum of different types of attributes that can be identified in a software development project. The original method defined by Alan Albrecht at IBM used the number of inputs, outputs, inquires and internal/external data groups. This raw function point can then be adjusted by complexity factors effecting the size of a project. GEST supports a number of function point methods which are suitable for different types of applications and are tailored for different usages. The following three are suitable for data processing: Albrechts Function Point Method Symons' Mark II Function Points SPR Function Points The original Function Point techniques have recently been extended to cope more effectively with real-time, military, safety critical and scientific applications. GEST supports: SPR Feature Points GEC Real-Time Method Beyond calculating function points GEST has tool support for code size and development effort/cost estimation. The component code size can be in one of many languages or even split up into multiple languages. The effort estimation from function points should only be seen as a very rough guide as it uses only a simple linear equation to calculate man months. An alternative, more reliable method of calulating effort from the function point count is to obtain an estimate of the size interms of lines of code from the function points and then use this in an algorithmic estimation model sush as COCOMO. GEST has facilities that allow this size estimate to be calculated and passed on for use in the GECOMO Plus tool to provide a fuller more accurate estimate. GEST has a number of features that can optionally be used with all the Function Point Methods. An incremental development model is supported which allows a compromise between functional and time requirements. Effort adjustment is allowed with the effort/cost estimate generated by the linear equation from the function point being adjusted by environmental factors. These adjust the result very much like the cost drivers do to a COCOMO estimate. It is possible to allow for the reuse of code specified in terms of lines of code or raw function points in a project undergoing estimation. Whichever value is specified the other is calculated through a process called "backfiring". A feature which has been described earlier is the GEST to GECOMO Plus integration which allows a lines of code size estimate to be generated by GEST from a function point count and then inputted into GECOMO Plus to be used to generate a COCOMO estimate. The tool support GEST is very much like GECOMO Plus. This includes a graphical user interface based on X Window System and OSF/Motif technology. an efficient database to hold Function Point data and configurable report generation in ASCII or Postcript. Online help is provided for tool usage. Support services as for GECOMO Plus are provided. GEST is under the final stages of development and will firstly be available under Sun 3 followed by the platforms that GECOMO Plus supports. For release date and pricing please contact the US office above. John Farley GEC Marconi Software Systems Borehamwood, Herts, England Tel 081 906 6296 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Mark Hahn msh30@ruts.ccc.amdahl.com Amdahl Corporation
davis@mwunix.mitre.org (David Davis) (02/02/91)
On a somewhat relevant topic, has nayone in this thread found any sources for articles, papers, etc. on the subject of X performance measurement? I would like to avoid reinventing a wheel. Thanks in advance. -- ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ Dave Davis davis@mwunix.mitre.org MITRE Corporation McLean, VA me := disclaimer.all