Requirements Analysis and Management (RAM) of COTS-Based Systems – A “Success Story”

Abstract

As Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) software solutions are developed and integrated to address and enhance government and commercial industries business processes needs, specific and systemic issues are coming to light. Two essential key process areas – Requirements Management and Software Product Engineering testing – must be innovatively accomplished by documented and institutionalized processes and procedures, in order to preclude the erroneous utilization of resources to address poorly defined requirements and subsequent associated rework during the implementation of a COTS-based system. This presentation is based on the experience of Lockheed Martin Asset Solution Integration (ASI) as a COTS product solution integrator in the Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) marketplace, and will describe the proven approach to requirements analysis and management and implications of that methodology developed during our successful COTS-based systems implementations and deliveries.