Software Development and Test Methodology for a Distributed Ground System

The Marshall Space Flight Centers (MSFC) Payload Operations Center (POC) ground system has evolved over a period of about 10 years. During this time the software processes have migrated from more traditional to more contemporary development processes in an effort to minimize unnecessary overhead while maximizing process benefits. The Software processes that have evolved still emphasize requirements capture software configuration management design documenting and making sure the products that have been developed are accountable to initial requirements. This paper will give an overview of how the Software Processes have evolved highlighting the positives as well as the negatives. In addition we will mention the COTS tools that have been integrated into the processes and how the COTS have provided value to the project.