Analyzing CASE impact

In large-scale software development, tools are frequently adopted at high cost, to increase quality and productivity. A method for quantitative analysis of the impact of such tool insertions would allow an organization to plan and assess tool insertions. However, currently, there are no practical methods available to accomplish such an analysis. The "Tool Insertion Impact Analysis Method" (TIM/Impact) has been developed to address this deficiency. TIM/ Impact uses quantitative process modeling to analyze tool insertion impact throughout a range of alternative scenarios of processes and project sizes. The method has been validated through a case study in the context of large-scale industrial software development. In this paper, TIM/Impact is introduced, and the data gathered in the study is described and analyzed. In the context of the study, it was found that the process used in the project and the size of the project play a significant role in determining whether the insertion of a tool is an improvement or rather a waste of resources. It was also found that it is always necessary to increase the allocated resources in order to improve quality, even if a tool is introduced, but through the insertion of a tool, quality improvement can be considerably cheaper than without inserting a tool. It is concluded that TIM/Impact can be a valuable aid for making decisions on how a process should be carried out. By providing resource requirement estimates, TIM/Impact can guide the selection of an appropriate technology and process.