1. Software Engineering Committee Status Report: Preliminary Findings and Recommendations Richard Loft and Gerry Wiener SE Committee Co-chairs National Center for Atmospheric Research Boulder, CO USA

2. The Software Committee was charged to: assess the status, needs, and priorities in software engineering and computer science at NCAR based on discussions with NCAR scientific and technical staff and external experts; synthesize the results of those discussions in the context of the NCAR Strategic Plan for High Performance Scientific Simulation, and to produce as a result an Implementation Plan to accompany the Strategic Plan; and make recommendations related to software engineering and computer science that would require action before the Implementation Plan is completed.

3. SE Committee Members Lawrence Buja, CGD Chris Burghart, ATD Tony Craig, CGD Cecelia DeLuca, SCD Jose Garcia, HAO Rich Loft, SCD (co-chair) John Michalakes, MMM Bill Preeg (outside consultant) Russ Rew, Unidata Eric Scharff, ESIG Chris Webster, ATD Gerry Weiner, RAP (co-chair)

4. SE Committee Activities Committee has met monthly since March, 2003 Committee Members collected data via surveys from own divisions Website: http://www.scd.ucar.edu/secomm http://www.scd.ucar.edu/secomm Swiki site: http://swiki.ucar.edu/secommhttp://swiki.ucar.edu/secomm Draft report: Feb 1, 2004 Final report: March 1, 2004

5. Findings…

6. NCAR software engineering is diverse. Problem domains –High performance computing and scientific simulation –Data access / data sharing –Data analysis –Visualization –Field project support –Systems development Funding sources –NSF –NASA –FAA –DOD –Foreign governments

7. NCAR software engineering is diverse… Management practices Technologies employed Some divisions have lots of SE’s others few Scientists, project scientists and graduate students are involved in software engineering development at NCAR One size fits all approach won’t work

8. Software Projects are becoming more complex… Complex, volatile computer architectures and related software technologies Multi-component, coupled interdisciplinary models Large numbers of collaborators Software projects spanning institutions More emphasis on creating production quality infrastructure

9. Cultural Obstacles at NCAR Communication challenges –Division/Project: Ongoing need to ensure engineering concerns are being adequately addressed. –Peers: Many software engineers are working in relative isolation. Perhaps as many as 40% of engineers are on single developer projects. Career development issues –Lack of uniform policy across divisions –Difficulties in finding time or funding for training / maintaining currency –Limited opportunities for promotion / professional growth –Limited management / leadership roles

10. Large Software Projects: Key Factors to Success understanding of requirements –Requires good communication –Role of cross trained “translators” competent project management –Larger the project the more formal –Full-time software project manager

11. Recommendations…

12. Create Sustainable Software Infrastructure Collect requirements for NCAR’s software infrastructural needs. Create a common vision of what the essential software infrastructure will be. Integrate software infrastructure planning across institution. –Triage existing software components –Make strategic investments in emerging technologies –Integrate with facilities planning process

13. Create Sustainable Software Infrastructure Invest in sustainable software infrastructure –Set aside Strategic Initiatives / Opportunity Funds for software infrastructure proposals –Balance investment with science goals –Manage emerging technology deployment Computational Grids Earth System Grid ESMF and other frameworks –Involve UCAR community –Partner with other labs

14. Phase in Project Management Procedures Ensure software engineering input is incorporated in new proposals involving software development Create project management checklist for new proposals –Work breakdown structure –Software process definition –Project role specification (manager, engineering lead, architect) Require software project management training for project leads Create Database of NCAR projects

15. Community Building Invest in SE professional development –Target: improve software engineering through increased professional development opportunities. –Focus on hiring computing professionals. –Encourage cross-training between software engineers and scientific staff. –Re-evaluate current SE mentoring system. Create unit on mentoring for hiring supervisors Pay particular attention to mentoring in divisions with few SE’s

16. Community Building Improve communications –Reward inter-divisional efforts –Create a Scientific Software seminar series / workshops –Create a software engineering resource clearinghouse –Consider funding an extra-divisional pool of engineering talent.

17. Community Building Create Software Engineering Knowledge Management (SEKM) group to serve as an institutional resource for promoting best practices. Conducts evaluations of software tools and publish reviews/findings. Collects pointers to recommended software tools. Coordinates the purchase of such tools. Publicizes the availability of tools to community. Organizes tools training. Serves as a mediator with vendors with respect to tools Maintains a reference library of software engineering documents, developer guides. Captures best practice recommendations for software engineering, collaboration and project management.