9804067 Managing the process of developing and maintaining software has become the focus of organizations that need to deliver reliable software in a cost-effective manner. To this end, two orthogonal directions have been pursued: industry has developed standards, while academic research efforts have focussed on formal models. The goal of this research is to integrate these two approaches through data analysis and measurement. In this project, new techniques are devised for combining process data analysis with process models, including analysis of concurrent behavior, attribute relations, and real-time performance of processes. In addition, an existing framework for process data analysis is extended to provide support for these new methods, and tools are constructed embodying these new techniques. Evaluation of the new methods is undertaken by applying them to industrial, real-world data, in conjunction with industrial collaboration. Providing these techniques will empower those who develop software to maintain truly optimizing processes---the rigorous framework of a formal model allows the data analysis to measure the process in an unambiguous manner, thus feeding back clear and insightful information to the process. In addition to this practical impact, this project will enhance and extend the scientific knowledge of the process of developing reliable software systems.***
