Gaps in SKA software architecture

The aim of this feature is to establish and maintain a complete list of known gaps in the SKA Software Architecture design. A lot of information regarding gaps and issues has been collected as part of the element CDR process (and pre-CDRs) but not all of this information is easily accessible, and often context is lost. Furthermore, where post meeting updates to the designs and documents are made to address some of the issues these updates are not consistently reflected in the actions and issues recorded. Lastly there are gaps opened when an issue is resolved in a later CDR meeting, but this makes the later element design inconsistent with, or at least more advanced than, the earlier element’s design. An example of this may be found in the approach to the creation of Processing Blocks in the SDP design. This issue was resolved in advance of the SDP pre-CDR, but the resolution is not recorded in the TM design documentation that was already complete.

The term "gap" used here refers to the identification in the overall Software Architecture of : items that have been deliberately omitted; items accidentally left out; or known items not yet defined. The importance or urgency of each gap is left to the individual analysis.

This feature should:

    ▪    Collate a complete list of current known gaps;
    ▪    Review for correctness, completeness and coherence (is it understandable?, is the context clear, etc.);
    ▪    Incorporate - or refer to (if incorporation should be part of the analysis) - the output of any work carried out subsequent to the original recording of the issue;
    ▪    Propose a mechanism for extending the list as more gaps are identified;
    ⁃    Including a process for absorbing the new gaps.

The draft document on a Telescope Issue Management system (attached) is a starting point for collating, creating and tracking issues in a wider context: for software architecture gaps the same process, and possibly the same database could be adopted.