Industry-Certified Software
Evaluation and Deployment 

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) is a nationally recognized leader in developing customized, high-quality software to meet industrial and government needs. An integral part of software development is testing, deployment, and independent verification and validation. The Software Engineering Organization (SEO) at SwRI applies strict software engineering standards that are repeatable on projects. The SEO has an active system/software process improvement program and conducts projects in accordance with procedures based upon Level 4 of the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) Capability Maturity Model® Integration (CMMI®).

Testing

SwRI analysts conduct a wide range of system tests, including integration, performance, and user-acceptance testing. Recent SwRI focus is on offering serviceoriented architecture (SOA) software testing.

The experienced testing team provides numerous capabilities, including:

• User-based test scenarios for a specific application
• Experience with multiple platforms, architectures, languages, and technologies
• Familiarity with American Disabilities Act Section 508, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance requirements, and other state, federal, and organizational standards

To increase testing efficiency, the SwRI testing program uses:

• Increased visibility into code tested at the unit level
• Industry-accepted testing software and practices
• Performance testing software
• Automated testing for increased repeatability

Using different types of state-of-the-art testing software and hardware, SwRI provides a comprehensive suite of software testing services that includes automated and manual testing processes.

Deployment

Institute analysts understand that successful system deployment comprises more than installation and configuration of new software. The Institute provides the following:

• Impact analysis of system changes
• Development and management of deployment plans, including roll-out and system migration plans
• Facilitation of user acceptance/change management
• Issue tracking and resolution
• Development of user manuals and installation guides
• User training
• Ongoing user support and interaction
• Development and implementation of user-requested features

Because deployment of a new system represents significant changes for an organization, Institute scientists carefully consider the psychological, social, and business process factors during the introduction of a new or revised system.

Successful deployment of a system involves integrating the many facets of the user’s environment into the rollout process.

Independent Verification and Validation Testing

SwRI provides independent verification and validation (IV&V) testing to ensure the software system under development meets requirements and expectations and that the system is being built correctly. The Institute performs the following IV&V tasks:

• Requirements specificity analysis
• Design analysis
• Milestone reviews
• Configuration control process assessment
• Software verification
• Change management process evaluation
• Test validation
• Training evaluation

Involvement of SwRI IV&V staff early in the project’s lifecycle can reveal process or product errors, allowing timely and cost-effective revision. Institute staff members are truly independent and unbiased regarding the outcome of the IV&V program. As a result, Institute analysts produce results that add significant value to the project effort.

SwRI offers a variety of platforms and other hardware to verify and validate software programs over a wide range of conditions and environments.

This Brochure was published in February 2007. For more information about Industry-Certified Software, contact H. Dwaine Smith, Manager, Phone (210) 522-2009, or Harvey D. Watson , Program Director, Phone (210) 522-2668, Fax (210) 522-5499, Automation and Data Systems Division, Southwest Research Institute, P.O. Drawer 28510, San Antonio, Texas 78228-0510.

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