Tackling software management challenges on the GMT project

Marianne Cox; José M. Filgueira; José Soto; Chien Peng; Jordi Molgo; William Schoenell; Hector Swett; Chris Contaxis; Jorge Barrios; Gibreel El-Halabi; Paulo H. Silva

doi:10.1117/12.3019255

25 July 2024 Tackling software management challenges on the GMT project

Marianne Cox, José M. Filgueira, José Soto, Chien Peng, Jordi Molgo, William Schoenell, Hector Swett, Chris Contaxis, Jorge Barrios, Gibreel El-Halabi, Paulo H. Silva

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 13101, Software and Cyberinfrastructure for Astronomy VIII; 131011V (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3019255
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2024, Yokohama, Japan

Abstract

The Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) Software and Controls (SWC) team is responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining the GMT Observatory Control System (OCS). GMT software modules are developed either in-house, or in collaboration with GMT partner institutions, following an Agile software development process. However, these software industry best-practices require significant tailoring to integrate well with other Engineering disciplines on a large, complex project such as GMT. In this paper we explore the various challenges in managing software development and how we are tackling them at GMT. Key areas include building the right team, handling programmatic challenges, streamlining development processes and engaging with customers and stakeholders. We’ve learned that people are at the heart of what we do, and the health of the team directly affects our ability to deliver high quality software on time and within budget. Also, managing limited resources is a common theme, requiring many different solutions in different domains. We have found the most effective to be a combination of process-optimization, resource-loaded scheduling, agile development, drastic overhead reduction and regular review of top priorities to help the team focus on what is important. Lastly, active engagement and efficient communication with customers and other stakeholders from the very beginning, help to set clear expectations and sets the team up for success. The team has made tremendous progress in the last few years in these areas and will continue to do so in the future due to a commitment to continuous improvement.

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Marianne Cox, José M. Filgueira, José Soto, Chien Peng, Jordi Molgo, William Schoenell, Hector Swett, Chris Contaxis, Jorge Barrios, Gibreel El-Halabi, and Paulo H. Silva "Tackling software management challenges on the GMT project", Proc. SPIE 13101, Software and Cyberinfrastructure for Astronomy VIII, 131011V (25 July 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3019255

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