Software transition: a case study

One of the major topics during discussions regarding life cycle software support is the transition of the support responsibility from a software developer organization to a software maintenance organization. In many cases these are entirely different and distinct organizations, and the difference creates some problems and necessitates sound planning. The authors describe a case study of the successful transitioning of two systems from the developer to a new software maintenance organization. The following issues were addressed: When is the hardware required for the SSA (software support activity)? What is the hardware suite that will be provided to the SSA? What level of manning is required? What is the phasing plan for the agreed upon manning level? When is the manning agreed upon? Does the SSA get involved during development of the system? Does the SSA play an active role in preliminary design reviews and critical design reviews?