ABSTRACT
The maturity of a product is defined by its capability to meet specified qualitative criteria at a given step in the design process. In this paper, we will focus on product maturity; a step beyond traditional process maturity as defined by Capability Maturity Model Integrated (CMMI)-like methods. Product maturity is measured through a series of high-level requirements, intensive formative evaluations and expert integration. A global philosophy is vital to guide complexity management throughout the design and development process. High-level requirements of the product must address the right function(s) as well as any security policy enforcement requirements. High-level requirements must be stable, correctly validated, clearly stated, well-written, and consistent. Scenario-based design should be promoted to appropriately test design solutions. The personnel resources assigned to the project are responsible for execution of the design. A knowledgeable technical manager must constantly enforce a global vision of the product and integrate possible partial visions throughout the design and development process. End-users should be included throughout the process to appropriately validate highlevel requirements. Technical coordination of the various actors is required to insure effective and correct integration and operation reliability insurance. Management effectiveness must be integrated also and reduce the distance between actors. Continuity of the team organization throughout process must be preserved; internal personnel tumover should be carefully controlled. Specific care should be devoted to selecting appropriate of design and evaluation methods, especially for innovative products. Finally, high-level requirements should be evaluated from the start and used to define incremental integration checkpoints to support continuous evaluation, i.e., not at the end of the development process.
