Using Group Support Systems for Software Inspections

0 7 4 0 7 4 5 9 / 0 1 / $ 1 0 . 0 0 © 2 0 0 1 I E E E One example of software process improvement is the development and execution of inspections of software development documents as a mature technique to detect and prevent software defects. Part of an inspection is a meeting where the participants log detected defects and search for more defects. Unfortunately, the effectiveness and efficiency of the logging meeting are often low compared to those of the preparation for the meeting. This has led software engineers and researchers to debate whether an inspection even needs a meeting.1 We approach this question from another angle: can we improve logging meetings such that they contribute to more effective and efficient inspections? Improving meetings through technology has been the main goal of the researchers and practitioners working on electronic meeting systems or group support systems over the last 20 years.2,3 Companies have successfully used these tools for a wide variety of problemsolving and business process activities—for example, Doug Vogel has described IBM’s use of an electronic meeting system.4 For more on addressing requirements negotiation, see “Developing Groupware for Requirements Negotiation: Lessons Learned” by Barry Boehm, Paul Grünbacher, and Robert O. Briggs, in this issue. This article describes our experience implementing a GSS for inspections in an industrial environment. The results confirm our belief that such support can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of inspections, provided the inspections are properly conducted.