Software inspections at Fermilab-use and experience

Because of the critical nature of DA/Online software it is important to commission software which is correct, usable, reliable and maintainable, i.e. has the highest quality possible. In order to help meet these goals Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) has begun implementing a formal software inspection process. Formal Inspections are used to reduce the number of defects in 'software at as early a stage as possible. These Inspections, in use at a wide variety of institutions (e.g. NASA, Motorola), implement a well-defined procedure that can be used to improve the quality of many different types of deliverables. The inspection process, initially designed by Michael Fagan, is described as it was developed and as it is currently implemented at Fermilab where it has been used to improve the quality of a variety of different experiment DA/Online software. Benefits of applying inspections at many points in the software life-cycle and benefits to the people involved are investigated. Experience with many different types of inspections and the lessons learned about the inspection process itself will be detailed. Finally, the future of Inspections at Fermilab will be given.