Page 24 - The Art of Designing Embedded Systems

Disciplined Development 1 1

Compare this to the performance of a Level 1 (Initial) team. The
odds of success are about the same as at the craps tables in Las Vegas. A
1997 survey in EE Times confirms this data in their report that 80% of em-
bedded systems are delivered late.
One study of companies progressing along the rungs of the CMM
found the following per year results:
37% gain in productivity
18% more defects found pre-test
19% reduction in time to market
45% reduction in customer-found defects
It’s pretty hard to argue with results like these. Yet the vast majority
of organizations are at Level 1 (see Figure 2-2). In my discussions with
embedded folks, I’ve found most are only vaguely aware of the CMM. An
obvious moral is to study constantly. Keep up with the state of the art of
software development.
Figure 2-2 shows a slow but steady move from Level 1 to 2 and be-
yond, suggesting that anyone not working on their software processes will
be as extinct as the dinosaurs. You cannot afford to maintain the status quo
unless your retirement is near.

FIGURE 2-2 Over time companies are refining their development
processes.