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U.S YEAR 2000 DISCLOSURE

"Statements made to you in the course of this sale are subject to the Year 2000 Information and Disclosure Act (Public Law 105-271, 112 Stat. 2386). In the case of a dispute, this Act may reduce your legal rights regarding the use of such statements, unless otherwise specified by your contract or tariff."
 
 
 

THE EMBEDDED SYSTEMS PROBLEM 

Nobody now doubts the importance of facing up to the year 2000 problem within computers such as PCs and mainframes. But it is also vital to address its effect in another important area: embedded systems. These present their own unique challenges for the millennium practitioner, ranging from simple fire alarms to complex multi-processor manufacturing systems using many thousands of lines of computer code. 

Issues associated with resolving the year 2000 problem in embedded systems include: 

Sheer numbers present within most organisations. 

Inherent difficulty in identifying and locating them. 

Necessity of assessing millennium compliance on an individual unit-by-unit basis due to multiple sourcing of components by manufacturers. 

Isolation and testing, particularly for systems operating in a real time environment. 

Re-certification following remedial work, particularly for safety critical systems. 

Difficulty in assessing the importance of a millennium failure. For example, apparently simple systems can be present in such high volumes that failure can result in serious disruption for the organisation. 
 
Strain on resources, with a potential lack of available maintenance and support engineering staff to carry out even basic reset operations. 
 

WORKING AGAINST THE CLOCK  

MOPAS 2000 is a comprehensive methodology, which enables millennium practitioners to save time and increase effectiveness when tackling embedded systems. It encapsulates literally hundreds of man-years of experience in the key areas of year 2000 compliance and the analysis, design and development of embedded systems. 
The methodology has been specifically designed to: 

Address the problem both for large-scale multi-site organisations and smaller companies. 
 
Enable customisation to an organisation’s own requirements and circumstances so that it can integrate with existing processes and working practices. 

Ensure the efficient use of scarce resources. 

Minimise the risk to an organisation resulting from the year 2000 problem. 

At the heart of this approach is the identification, prioritisation and implementation of the analysis and test processes in a series of parallel workstreams that are offset in time, hence: 

Multiple Offset Prioritised Analysis System –
                MOPAS 2000
A COMPLETE SOLUTION 

MOPAS 2000 accelerates an embedded systems millennium programme by taking an integrated approach to analysis, test and remedial action. Importantly, it includes models and processes to handle all aspects of achieving organisation wide compliance. For example, a key feature of the methodology is a fully customisable Generic Equipment Model for classifying equipment in terms of relative importance to the organisation. This in turn is supported by a relational database to facilitate modifications to the generic model. 

MOPAS 2000 includes advice and guidance on such important areas as estimating the cost of programme or equipment isolation procedures. There are also test and analysis check lists as well as scripts for carrying out the various processes used within MOPAS 2000. 
 

HOW MOPAS 2000 GETS RESULTS 
 
Set-up Process:
Ensures an effective and efficient programme infrastructure is in place.
Awareness Campaign:
Ensures staff appreciate the importance of the programme.
Business and Engineering Definition Process:
Establishes the major priorities and drivers within the organisation including other projects that may impact the programme.
 Identifies the functional areas for engineering focus, the equipment groups contained within them and the ownership of these groups.
 Carries out the first risk categorisation process
Defines a hierarchy for the relative importance of equipment.
Workstream Definition Process:
Prioritises equipment according to a number of previously defined criteria and allocates it to workstreams accordingly.
Workstream Management Process:
Monitors, reviews, re-allocates and records the movement of equipment between streams.
Inventory Management Process:
Populates a hierarchical database of equipment.
Multi-Level Analysis and Test Process:
This is designed to maximise value for money while minimising risk.
 Includes Vendor Management Process which ensures the consistent and timely control of the organisation’s equipment suppliers.
 
Risk Management Process:
Initial risk assessment and classification
Risk assumption and risk definition, recording and review.
Planning and Estimation Process.
 
 

THE ADVANTAGES OF THE MOPAS 2000 APPROACH  

MOPAS 2000 provides an array of tangible, business oriented benefits for both the millennium practitioner and the client organisation. Not least of these is minimising the risk of project slippage, which is vital given the immovable nature of the millennium deadline. 
MOPAS 2000 represents a powerful knowledge resource, which can be used to deliver value for money for client organisations by: 

Enabling a fast start for millennium programmes, therefore effectively utilising the scarce resources wasted during the programme definition phase; 

Reducing total programme time by six months or more; 

Providing the opportunity to train “in-house” resources to carry out the analysis and test tasks; 

Matching analysis and test costs with value for money and risk criteria; 

Matching the resource skill profile with the level of testing and analysis. 

There are particular benefits for the client organisation in the area of risk management. In particular, it almost immediately significantly reduces the risk profile. There is also a clear identification of where and at what level the risks are present, as well as structured, ongoing risk reassessment and management. 

MOPAS 2000 also provides client organisations with a complete audit trail for identification, selection, analysis, test and remedial action. This assures the client, their investors and their customers that a comprehensive quality driven process has been employed. 

To see how we can help you with your Embedded System Project contact us. 
 

THE DATABASE 

A programme database is an essential tool in an Embedded Systems Year 2000 programme for managing and recording information produced by the various processes. Designing a database for such a task can be difficult and time consuming. A generic database is provided which has been constructed to support MOPAS 2000. The database includes a customisable schema which shows the main data tables required, their main fields (or attributes) and the corresponding relationships between the tables. 

The three main sets of data tables are :- 

Equipment Hierarchy – which is used to represent the Equipment Hierarchy model. 

Vendors – this provides the main data table for managing the equipment vendors. 

Risks/Issues – this maintains a table of risks and issues affecting the programme. 

Other tables support the programme include :- 

The Inventory table – which is used to store data relating to an individual item of equipment that has been identified by the programme. 

The Sample table – which provides the mechanism for the sampling process. 
 

BENEFITS OF MOPAS 

The benefits of MOPAS 2000 can be summarised as follows: 

Minimised risk of programme slippage from a proven procedure 

Consistent results from a comprehensive and thorough procedure 

Highest quality from continuous improvement programme 

Reduced learning curve for client resources 

No unpleasant Y2k surprises since equipment risk is quantified 

Due diligence is demonstrated by comprehensive audit trail 

Y2k compliance maintained by in-built configuration control 

MOPAS 2000 provides an array of tangible, business oriented benefits for the client organisation. Not least of these is minimising the risk of project slippage, which is vital given the immovable nature of the millennium deadline. 

Adoption of MOPAS 2000 enables the training of the client's own staff to be an effective millennium practitioner in the hardware/embedded Systems area. For the client, this increased capability eliminates the need to use multiple suppliers to handle the millennium problem, along with the associated risks, costs and management overhead. 

The comprehensive MOPAS 2000 methodology allows organisations to adopt a consistent approach to dealing with the Year 2000 problem. This means the clients experience appropriate levels of quality in key areas such as :- 

Set-up and planning of an embedded systems programme 

Assessing and managing risk 

Development of comprehensive inventories which require the minimum of re-work as the project progresses 

Identification of date sensitive equipment 

Vendor/supplier management 

Analysis and testing of the degree of date compliance or non-compliance 

 HOW TO BE PART OF MOPAS 2000 

Are you a third party service provider in the Year 2000 field? Do you want to offer your clients a more comprehensive service? Are you interested in licensing MOPAS 2000? 

Adoption of MOPAS 2000 enables the software consultant to be an effective millennium practitioner in the hardware/embedded Systems area. This in turn allows the consultant both to build on existing client relationships by extending service offerings and to enter new markets. For the client, this increased capability eliminates the need to use multiple suppliers to handle the millennium problem, along with the associated risks, costs and management overhead. 

The comprehensive MOPAS 2000 methodology allows consultancies to have a consistent approach amongst its practitioners. This means the client experiences appropriate levels of quality in all key areas, in particular: 

Set-up and planning of an embedded systems programme 
Assessing and managing risk 
Development of comprehensive inventories which require the minimum of re-work as the project progresses 
Identification of date sensitive equipment 
Analysis and testing of the degree of date compliance or non-compliance 
 

Contact Us NOW 
ESSP Ltd 
Royal London House 
Christchurch Road 
Bournemouth 
Dorset. BH 1 3LT 
United Kingdom 

Tel: +44 (0)1202 297202 
Fax: +44 (0) 1202 296780 
E-Mail: info@essp.co.uk 
 
 

Year 2000 Information and Readiness Disclosure Act, 1998