EmmA, An Evolution Memory Management Assistant

Abstract : This report summarizes the research accomplished and the resulting software tool, Evolution Memory Management Assistant (EMMA), which was developed during the contract period. The goal of EMMA is to manage information used in software development throughout a system's life cycle. EMMA differs from current project management tools in that it manages not only the system requirements that developers must satisfy, but also the context in which the developers develop the system. This contextual information includes assumptions about the operating environment and user behavior, and it supports explicit planning of software evolution. EMMA also relates system development tasks to technical issues to help ensure that all members of the project are informed about the consequence of development decisions. EMMA keeps track of dependencies among system components and also the reasons (rationale) for dependencies. Thus, EMMA is flexible in considering contingencies and alternative approaches to building a system.