# Presentation: 874929

## Nova DAQ Software Development

- Gerald Guglielmo
- (CD/CEPA/OAA)

## Project  Drivers  & Scope

- Provide data acquisition software development for the Nova Experiment
- CD-1 & CD-2 Review process
- Changing scope
- Nova project office
- Requests and demands (cost pressures, schedules)
- Development of WBS for aggressive IPND schedule & Production
- Data buffering, triggering, writing, monitoring, control
- Remote operations support (isolated far detector site)
- DAQ Electronics interface

## Project Deliverables Status

- WBS work is an evolving effort
- Not yet using it to track (access strictly controlled by project office limits usefulness for L3 managers)
- Many milestones defined in WBS, mostly in the future (a small selection)
- Documentation (standards, various requirements, various designs)
- Various stages from not started to addressing review comments
- Basically behind schedule on Error Handling, Message Passing, Standards
- TRACE support on schedule (review by 30 June 2006)
- Evaluation of packages for control and error messages
- Elvin done; EPICS in progress (ahead of schedule 1 Sep &  4 Oct 2006)
- No one with dedicated large fraction for effort yet
- Optimize by picking tasks which are better suited for 'picking up where I left off', not strictly as schedule indicates
- Building foundation for when more dedicated effort becomes available

## Project  Milestones

- The mission is to provide a performant, robust, and well documented DAQ on an aggressive schedule while appropriately reflecting Computing Division and Laboratory priorities.
- There are two major milestones for the effort
- Minimally functioning solution in time for the IPND test running at the end of 2007 (overly aggressive given manpower, trying to improve)
- Fully functional DAQ system including remote operations support when first 5KT of detector is commissioned near end of 2010
- Bulk of work is really needed for IPND milestone so a very front loaded schedule
- Not well matched to the project approval process which pushes in opposite direction

## Effort Profile Nova DAQ Software Development  

- Jerry's time is mostly WBS and related management  activities (0.34 FTE ave)

## Risks

- IPND schedule is very aggressive and milestones may be missed
- No schedule contingency
- Effort available well below WBS levels
- Front loaded schedule does not match project approval process
- Not keeping pace in most if not all areas forcing creative task juggling
- Lack of dedicated manpower means context switching precludes involved tasks
- Some tasks have larger ramp up time to make progress and are not well suited to frequent switching or short duration attention
- Some tasks require coordinated effort on several fronts
- Hard to do efficiently alone
- Allocation of resources can be delayed waiting for project approval
- Project office pressure to do it cheaper since it is 'only software'
- Project office strict control of WBS severely limits usefulness to L3 managers

## Risks (Cont.)

- DOE pressure to keep costs near $200M
- De-scoping of detector forcing re-evaluation of needs
- Reduces amount of hardware needed (buffer nodes mainly)
- Does not alter real cost to develop software
- Pressure to defend costs of DAQ system requires effort that could be used elsewhere (2nd round since February in discussion)
- Project Office using too low FTE cost for CD DAQ Software developers
- Costing will jump once we can convince office of level to use
- Hard to get set since we are understaffed and may not accurately predict salary of future additional manpower
- Other holes in the overall project diverting effort from DAQ activities
- Already had to jump in and draft DB requirements for CD-1
- Czar named in June (finally), but still requires effort to prod along