Base Functional Component (BFC)

An elementary unit of Functional User Requirements defined by and used by an FSM Method for measurement purposes

base practice

A software engineering or management activity that addresses the purpose of a particular process

base practice

An engineering or management activity that addresses the purpose of a particular process area and thus belongs to it. [SPICE BPG 0.06] (adapted)

Baseline

A formally approved version of a configuration item, regardless of media, formally designated and fixed at a specific time during the configuration item's life cycle.

Baseline

As "configuration baseline" in ISO 10007. An SCI controlled to provide the ability to change or to rebuild the specific version at a later date.

baseline

A specification or product that has been formally reviewed and agreed upon, that thereafter serves as the basis for further development, and that can be changed only through formal change control procedures [IEEE-STD-610].

baseline

(1) A specification or product that has been formally reviewed and agreed upon, that thereafter serves as the basis for further development, and that can be changed only through formal change control procedures. A document or a set of such documents formally designated and fixed at a specific time during the life cycle of a configuration item. Any agreement or result designated and fixed at a given time, from which changes require justification and approval. [IEEE STD 610.12-1990]

baseline

A specification or product that has been formally reviewed and agreed upon, that thereafter serves as the basis for further development, and that can be changed only through formal change control procedures. [IEEE-STD- 610]

baseline configuration management

The establishment of baselines that are formally reviewed and agreed on and serve as the basis for further development. Some software work products, e.g., the software design and the code, should have baselines established at predetermined points, and a rigorous change control process should be applied these items. These baselines provide control and stability when interacting with the customer. (See also baseline management.)

Baseline Finish Date

See scheduled finish date.

Baseline function point count

See Application function point count.

baseline management

In configuration management, the application of technical and administrative direction to designate the documents and changes to those documents that formally identify and establish baselines at specific times during the life cycle of a configuration item. [IEEE-STD-610]

Baseline Start Date

See scheduled start date.

behaviour

how the whole or part of the system acts and reacts

benchmark

A standard against which measurements or comparisons can be made. [IEEE-STD-610]

Benchmarking

Process of determining a metric baseline for an organisational or functional unit for the purposes of comparison.

BFC Type

a defined category of BFCs

bidder

An individual, partnership, corporation, or association that has submitted a proposal and is a candidate to be awarded a contract to design, develop, and/or manufacture one or more products.

bottom-up

Pertaining to a method or procedure that starts at the lowest level of abstraction and proceeds towards the highest level.

boundary

a conceptual interface between the software under study and its users

Boundary

The application boundary is the conceptual interface between the software under study and its users. Where the users are any person or any thing that communicates or interacts with the software.

Budget

A planned sequence of expenditures over time with monetary costs assigned to specific tasks or jobs. Often used also to refer to work effort as well as, or instead of, money.

Budget At Completion (BAC)

The estimated total cost of the project when done.

Budget Estimate

See estimate.

Budgeted Cost of Work Performed (BCWP)

The sum of the approved cost estimates (including any overhead allocation) for activities (or portions of activities) completed during a given period (usually project-to-date). See also earned value.

Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled (BCWS)

The sum of the approved cost estimates (including any overhead allocation) for activities (or portions of activities) scheduled to be performed during a given period (usually project-to-date). See also earned value.

Build

Physical Design / Internal Design / Coding / Programming / Package Customisation / Interfaces

build

An operational version of a system or component that incorporates a specified subset of the capabilities that the final product will provide. [IEEE STD 610.12-1990]

business process

a partially ordered set of enterprise activities that can be executed to realise a given objective of an enterprise or a part of an enterprise to achieve some desired end-result