Software evolution using the SEER data base

Software quality improvement and cost reduction are the results expected from better communication among the people who work on a software system. SEER supports communication about a target system during the target's entire life cycle, beginning in the early stages of design, by providing access to a data base of information about the target. SEER is based on the observation that software evolution, i.e., the modification of inservice software, is becoming the dominant aspect of software engineering. SEER does not yet exist, but its functions are being defined and evaluated with the aid of a "software breadboard". An extended example of SEER use is presented, together with a description of the user's view of the SEER data base and a summary of some advanced functions possible within the SEER framework.