Using Software Development Life Cycle at GM Wilmington Assembly
Abstract
The Software Development Life Cycle is seldom used at my place of work. Unfortunately, recent developments in its use are deemed confidential. Due to this fact, this paper will examine in general terms one of the projects we are undertaking right now while at the same time attempting to maintain our confidentiality.
The project that will be examined is an upgrade to our main Human-Machine Interface (HMI) software: Cimplicity, to SQL Server and to the Windows OS. Cimplicity is a product of the GEFanuc group of General Electric. This group develops a full suite of applications used in the manufacturing environment. By way of introduction, the manufacturing floor environment uses a variety of types of equipment. To control these machines, a specialized computer is used. For the purposes of simplicity (not the program), this paper will refer to them all as PLC's or Programmable Logic Controllers. Most of these PLC's are accessible via the ethernet and communicate to our Protocol Data Units (PDU) in the computer room. These PDU's have Cimplicity installed on them in the form of projects that are named for the various areas or functions of our plant such as GA or General Assembly. The project we are undertaking will be a fundamental change to these PDU's in our computer room. The servers currently run Windows NT and will be upgraded to Windows Server 2003 or Windows 2000 and SQL Server will will be upgraded from version 7 to SQL 2000.
Using SDLC at GM Wilmington Assembly
The most recent history of our HMI software upgrades has been full of small upgrades, hot fixes (quick patches provided by GE) and changes to minor configuration items on the projects themselves. Recently, spurred by an announcement from Microsoft that Windows NT would soon be unsupported, GM decided it was time to upgrade its servers. The new servers would have Windows 2003 Server and any client or production computer would have Windows 2000. Any SQL Server will run SQL 2000 after the upgrade. The project began as a somewhat simple server hardware and software upgrade and has moved into a full-blown consolidation, network upgrade and server consolidation. From the outset, both EDS and GM have agreed to use a CMMi framework for all actions relating to this upgrade.
Systems Investigation
The first step in the process was to assign a group of EDS personnel that would handle what is called a "Blockpoint" in GM speak.
Software design and development is a field that requires various skills and abilities. Companies engaged in the development of software should provide an inclusive work environment where the different strengths of their employees are recognised, utilised and respected. Software development involves far more than programming skills. Personnel are required with strong communication, teamwork, attention to detail, creativity, design and problem-solving skills. Different personnel will possess these skills in varying proportions. It is the job of management to foster and encourage the development and enhancement of skills in the workplace.
Anthony, Robert N., and Govindarajan, Vijay. (2005) Management Control Systems. McGraw Hill Companies Inc., New York, NY (pp. 654-655)
...dustrial automation and for input/output functional needs. The low cost per signal line, minimal power consumption, overall Ethernet network capabilities, and self-request maintenance allow for home/office automation, controlled machinery, system monitoring, and remote access control. With key features for industry requirements, the IRP module is an ideal tool for networking needs.
While developing a software many complex activities are required which in turn have dependencies along them. Large software projects require the involvement of programmers, documentation specialists, program managers, architects, database analysts, system analysts, , and trainers and last but not the least testers. Along with their independent responsibilities these persons are also responsible to maintain and keep a check on the software system quality as well.
In today's world there is very unusual to have a program developed that will not have further development after release. The requirements of the time that we live are very dynamic and there is a need for constant adaptation. A basic requirement for any new software product is to be adaptable, easy to maintain and modify. Time factor and cost factor are ruling in the agitated competition and only those who are well organized and prepared are able to survive. The question for software maintenance and change control is taking key position in both perspectives: the perspective of the manufacturer of the software, and the perspective of the consumer. In the negotiation and management of these two major players is the complexity of the software maintenance and change control. In this paper we will focus on some important specifics of these processes.
The Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) consists of phases used in developing a piece of software. It is the plan of how to develop and maintain software, and when necessary, replace that software. In 2007 during my hospital’s transition to a new software system, I was fortunate enough to be included in the process. I did not get involved until the implementation phase, but from then on, until now, I remain very active in the process. I decided to highlight the Waterfall Model of SDLC. The Waterfall Model is a “sequential development process” with each phase continuing in a line (McGonigle and Mastrian, 2012, p. 205).
Given the time, it takes to develop large sophisticated software systems it not possible to define the problem and build the solution in a single step. Requirements will often change throughout a projects development, due to architectural constraints, customer’s needs or a greater understanding of the original problem. Iteration allows greater understanding of a project through successive refinements and addresses a projects highest risk items at every stage of its lifecycle. Ideally each iteration ends up with an executable release – this helps reduce a projects risk profile, allows greater customer feedback and help developers stay focused.
So it’s important to research the product and the vendor to make certain that you select the right system for your business. You’ve got to have a system that fully integrates all aspects of running your manufacturing business, offers advanced features and options but is intuitive and easy to use so employees can grasp hold quickly, and adapts to the way you do business rather than forcing you to adapt to the software.
...ill need to have a server operation system to house and configure the MHC-PMS software. On the client side, employees will need a computer with an operating system and an interface with the MHC-PMS. Other hardware beside the computer would be network cables to connect to router and the router will need to have secure connection to the central database. Once the hardware is setup and configured, employees will use their computers in the facilities to log into the server, and then log into the MHC-PMS software to access the information for their position. One login will be for the server to again access to network resources such as network drives and network printers and a second login will be needed to get into MHC-PMS with the user controls provided by management.
The development of the manufacturing industry, quality and control, manufacturing capacity increase or the duration and the need to reduce cost has arisen is inevitable. Thus automation and programming concepts were started years ago. Automation is a machine's operative procedures and their sequence start form beginnig to end without human intervention, and its done automatically. Programming of the sequence of operations is prerared and tranfered to the counter. A bench during the operation of the program, and in the process, this will provide for amendments to the alignment and speed, then the counter is called flexibility.
At this stage in the process it was up to the center manager to provide leadership and facilitate all pre-installation needs. One month prior to the new system being implemented a center manager from one of the already converted centers was brought on to motivate and generate a positive atmosphere about the new changes. Since he had been through the process previously he could explain and help prevent past mistakes.
Computer integrated manufacturing is a relatively new technology arising from the application of many computer science sub disciplines to support the manufacturing enterprise. The technology of CIM emphasizes that all aspects of manufacturing should be not only computerized as much as possible but also linked together via a computer communication network into an integrated whole. In short, CIM has the potential to enable manufacturers to build cheaper, higher-quality products and thus improve their competitiveness.
We need to acknowledge at the outset that CMMS are not for every organization and that current research shows that as much as fifty percent of all CMMS start up have failed to pay back a meaningful return on investment after two years of operations. That is to say in many cases the heavy investment in CMMS information technologies have failed to live up to the much publicized benefits of automation and have delivered some disappointed results. So we do not want to give the impression that CMMS in themselves will cure all the ills of the profession and to advice against walking into the same technology trap that are endemic to the business community at large. In a rush to automate every job function that affects organizational efficiency and bottom line profits, many managers are overlooking important caveats inherent in all information technology implementations. This highlights the point that an organization needs to know how to find the right CMMS and how to implement and maintain the system. The decreasing costs of computer hardware, and the emerging power of microcomputers and software technologies, have disguised the question of feasibility.
There is a large number of industrial processes where an erroneous operation can lead to important damage to their environment, and economical losses. That is why these processes, and the machines involved, must be designed to operate safely. However, the high automation and management levels required nowadays make necessary to use electronic systems for th...
Industrial automation: automation inspection system, non-destructive testing, automatic assembling, process related to VLSI manufacturing, PCB checking.