SPMMS - information structures in software management

SPMMS is an ESPRIT project which aims to develop a system to support the management of software production and maintenance. In this paper we list some of the reasons why such a system is required, and then outline the characteristics which it needs to have in order to meet those requirements. The remainder of the paper addresses two of the central problems which must be solved before an adequate SPMMS can be built: how to make SPMMS flexible enough to adapt to a useful range of organisational types and working practices, and what information structure to choose to deliver the required degree of control.