The document discusses quality assurance (QA) controls in COBOL code development at ABN AMRO, emphasizing the need for systematic QA to ensure software functionality and manage maintenance costs. It outlines the transition from a 'black box' to a 'grey box' approach, detailing the implementation of COBOL standards, automated scans, and ongoing validation of coding rules. Despite partial coverage, the document highlights the need for further formalization of complex rules and continuous updates to the COBOL standards handbook.

1. QA on Cobol code
Developments and Progress
NESMA April 2009
Steven Klusener / Han Noé

2. FPA meet de omvang van de functionele
Implementatie
 Business  Business
function wish
 Application
FPA  Function  Requirement
 (technical) IT
component
(Symplified: n:m
relations are not
shown)

3. Productiviteit (kosten per eenheid)
Meetpunt:
Projectkosten
(aantal Uren of Euro’s)
Euro‘s
Uren of Euro's Vendor
ABN Amro per functiepunt
Product
Meetpunt: Meetpunt:
Functionele projectomvang Product
(aantal functiepunten) Kwaliteit

4. What for today?
“Regievoering in applicatie outsourcing behoeft een
constante monitoring van software- & documentatie
kwaliteit”

5. What for today?
 The general picture, from black box to grey box
 Progress within ABN AMRO
 Discussion

6. Why systematic QA Control?
 Stability of functionality
 Control of maintenance costs
 Control of multi-vendor model
 No vendor lock-in
Spin-off
 Improving negotiation position w.r.t. Vendors
 Supporting internal AAB staff in technical issues

7. General picture
 Application outsourcing is considered as a
black box, however, non-functional
requirements are relevant as well
 A black box model has the risk of vendor
lock-in
 However, we do not want a white box
either

8. General picture: limited control
 Limited QA control required, a grey box
 QA control based on pre-defined set of standards
 Standards formalized in the Cobol standards handbook
 According to the contract, the IT-provider must adhere to
the standards

9. General picture: limited control
 Acceptance of projects wrt. software quality is restricted to
agreed set of standards & guidelines
 The set of standards need continuous validation and
evolution
 Identification of best practices and bad practices <->
standards
 Validation of standards & guidelines change proposals by
the Cobol expert team

10. Traffic safety
Traffic rules Legislation
Traffic control
Safety on the streets
Trafic incidents

11. Code Quality
Cobol standards
Cobol expert team
Quality control & guidelines
Cobol code quality
QA review issues,
Prod. Incidents

12. Code Quality
1.Automated scan Cobol standards
on standards Cobol expert team
& guidelines
2.Visual review
Cobol code quality
QA review issues,
Prod. Incidents

13. Cobol code quality control steps
Vendor
Cobol sources
ISPW, –> ST –> ET -> Prod
Cobol
Automated
Guidelines
QA SCAN
Selection Visual
HTML report of ‘Bad’ QA REVIEW
sources
Management QA Review
QA report report

14. Progress within ABNAMRO
Implementation Cobol QA control

15. Status Cobol
 Coding rules have been formalized and embedded
into a software delivery process
– At TCS: Cobol Checker and Cobol Checklist
– At AAB: Rules checked on Delta
 Partial coverage yet, more complex rules and
guide-lines still have to be formalized with the help of
Cobol experts, input from testing/production issues

16. Status Cobol
 Cobol standards handbook yearly update
 Daily Delivery from ISPW of all Cobol promoted from
ST->AT, AT-> ET and ET-> Prod
 Delivery in the Cobol analysis environment
 Monthly automated check on 50 Cobol standards
 Publication automated check results on Website
 Access to AAB Subject Matter Experts.
 Monthly visual QA reviews by Ordina

17. Report of automated QA check
 QA check new module

18. Report of automated QA check
 New version RE500A
 Deviations

19. Violations of standards in the
Cobol portfolio
Examples

20. Violation of standards, detail:
Confusing indentation, ex. EJ830
**** BEPALEN VULLING PAN
IF FOUND-TRACK2 AND FOUND-TRACK3
MOVE …
IF DAT2 IN H-DLR-REGEL8A = 'data:'
…
END-IF
?? MOVE …
IF H-PAN = SPACES
IF VOORLOOPNR IN H-DLR-REGEL9 = '01'
MOVE …
ELSE
IF VOORLOOPNR IN H-DLR-REGEL9A = '01'
…
END-IF
ELSE
MOVE …
END-IF
**** BEPALEN VULLING TRANSACTIENUMMER
IF FOUND-WDRL
…
END-IF.

21. Violation of standards, Statistics:
Deviations in new Cobol modules
RULE #LoC #Mod #Sys
cobie014 comp clause 12 3 3
cobst015 perform thru 11 5 4
cobst020 move corresponding 9 2 1
cobst007 merge/sort 6 2 1
cobst013 upon console 4 2 2
cobst85003 date-written entry 2 2 1
cobst85001 author entry 2 2 1