Lessons learned from the use of a spiral model for an Ada development effort: the software life cycle support environment (SLCSE)

A description is given of the software life cycle support environment (SLCSE), a VAX-based software development environment. The project was 80% Ada, subject to DOD-STD-2167 reviews and documentation. SLCSE adopted an incremental-build/rapid-prototyping methodology similar to Boehm's spiral model. Eight prototype builds (and the final product) were delivered during the course of the development effort. At the heart of the system is an integrated database implemented via a commercial relational database management system overlaid with an entity-relationship layer that models the entire information content of DOD-STD-2167A. The lessons learned from this project are discussed. Among these lessons are the findings that incremental builds help to prove the viability of critical design approaches and that the use of a spiral-type model requires a new mindset