Baseline items in Software Development

Last Updated : 06 Aug, 2024

In software development, baseline items are important factors that serve as reference factors throughout the project lifecycle. These objects, including requirements, layout documents, and code variations, help to ensure consistency and traceability. Establishing baselines enables effective project management, permitting teams to monitor progress and manage adjustments systematically.

IEEE

(IEEE Std. No. 610.12-1990) defines baseline as an agreed description and review of product attributes, that afterwards serve as the basis for further development and defining change, and this changing can be done only through formal change control procedures". A baseline is a milestone and a reference point in software development marked by completion or delivery of one or more software configuration items and formal approval of a set of predefined products is obtained through formal technical review. The baseline is a shared project database. It is the task of Software Configuration Management (SCM) that is used to maintain the integrity of a set of products. The main aim of the baseline is to reduce and control vulnerability i.e. Weakness of projects that can easily affect projects and lead to uncontrollable changes. This can be achieved by fixing and changing configuration items (various key deliverables) in the product's development life cycle at some critical points. Each element that is associated with the baseline needs to be kept under formal change control.

Process :

Elements need to be documented properly and reviewed to find if there is an issue with the design model. If any error or defect is found, then these errors and defects are corrected and fixed.
All parts of the model are being reviewed properly and all problems found are being fixed and approved.
The design base model is now the Baseline.
Any further changes in the program architecture that are documented in the design model can be allowed to be done only after each has been evaluated and approved.

Baseline Components :

A typical baseline includes the following components :

Functional Baseline - Operation Document, System Requirements.
Allocated Baseline - High-level document, Preliminary Design, Interface control documents.
Design Baseline - Detailed design documents.
Product Baseline - Source and executable code units, final system specifications, user and maintenance manuals, Hardware and software specifications,
Operational Baseline - Source and executable code units, final system specifications, user and maintenance manuals, acceptance test plans, test procedures, site integration test cases and data sets and test reports
Acceptance Test - Source and executable code units, integration test plans, test procedures, test cases, and data sets and test reports
Integration Test - Source and executable code units, unit test plans, test procedures, test cases, and data sets and test reports
Unit Test - Source and executable code modules

Example :

What is Heuristic Evaluation (HE)?

Heuristic Evaluation (HE) is a usability inspection technique in which professionals check a user interface against usability principles or heuristics. This technique helps to pick out usability problems early inside the layout system, making it a cost-powerful and efficient to increase user satisfaction. Typically, evaluators search for issues which includes system feedback, user control, and consistency, supplying actionable insights for development. Unlike user testing, it does now not contain real users but relies on the understanding of the evaluators.

Conclusion

Baselines in software development are important to manage the project and ensuring that all individuals work from the same foundation. By adhering to well-defined baseline items, teams can attain extra readability, stability, and alignment in their projects.