| Summary: | Weapon systems in the Department of Defense (DoD) are becoming increasingly reliant on embedded software. As the size and level of complexity of these software development efforts have increased, the management of these programs has become more challenging. Additionally, as the Army strives to digitize the future battlefield, the demand for software will only increase. This thesis reviews the software development efforts associated with modernizing the Army's Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS). The thesis begins by presenting a background discussion of the Army's Fire Direction Data Manager (FDDM) development. After the FDDM background discussion, a case study of the troubled FDDM software development effort is presented. The FDDM case study follows the general format presented in the May 1992 General Accounting Office report on the FDDM software development difficulties. Following the FDDM review, the current MLRS software development effort, the Improved Fire Control System (IFCS) is presented. Next, the FDDM case study is reviewed to determine the software development lessons learned. Using the FDDM software lessons learned, the IFCS program is analyzed to determine the software risks, and to review the risk mitigation strategies of that program. The objective of the thesis is to provide insight into the use of modern software management methods in reducing software development program risk.
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