SOFTWARE SOFTWARE PROCESS PROCESS

IMPROVEMENTIMPROVEMENT

SHARATH CHANDAR REDDY SHARATH CHANDAR REDDY ALETIALETICSC 532CSC 532

TERM PAPERTERM PAPER

IntroductionIntroduction Software Process can be defined as a Software Process can be defined as a

set of activities, methods, set of activities, methods, transformations and practices that transformations and practices that people use to develop and maintain people use to develop and maintain software and the associated products.software and the associated products.

software process improvement encompasses process assessment, process refinement (traditional SPI), and process innovation (introducing major process changes).

Software Process: Software Process: ObjectivesObjectives

schedule (delivery date)

functionality

(features)

quality

(defects)

Software Process Software Process ImprovementImprovement

Are analyses of errors conducted to determine their process related causes?

Is a mechanism used for ensuring compliance to software engineering standards?

....ContdContd

Resources may be invested on software Resources may be invested on software process improvement to account forprocess improvement to account for

shorter project durationshorter project duration fewer developers using fewer labor fewer developers using fewer labor

monthsmonths less time spent testing, debugging, and less time spent testing, debugging, and

fixing errorsfixing errors less maintenance supportless maintenance support higher return on training and automated higher return on training and automated

tools investmenttools investment greater predictability of project resultsgreater predictability of project results

The Process of getting The Process of getting Software Process Software Process

Improvement startedImprovement started Motivation Motivation Expectation SettingExpectation Setting VisioningVisioning Business ObjectivesBusiness Objectives Software Process Improvement InfrastructureSoftware Process Improvement Infrastructure Selecting the Process Improvement Selecting the Process Improvement

ParticipantsParticipants Managing ChangeManaging Change Determining the priority for the Process Determining the priority for the Process

Improvement Implementation Improvement Implementation Action PlanningAction Planning

Business Motivation for Business Motivation for Process Improvement Process Improvement

cycle time reductioncycle time reduction quality improvements in the delivered quality improvements in the delivered

productsproducts improved schedule performance because of improved schedule performance because of

more realistic estimates and reduced feature more realistic estimates and reduced feature creepcreep

reduced internal rework and wasted effortreduced internal rework and wasted effort reduced staff turnover and increased moralereduced staff turnover and increased morale the ability to facilitate movement of people the ability to facilitate movement of people

from one project to another because of from one project to another because of common software development practices.common software development practices.

Guiding Principles for Guiding Principles for Software Project Software Project

ImprovementImprovement The SPI initiative is intended to address The SPI initiative is intended to address

business, technical, project management, business, technical, project management, and quality of life issues that are worth and quality of life issues that are worth improving. The organization should be able improving. The organization should be able to explain to stakeholders why a proposed to explain to stakeholders why a proposed activity or deliverable is important.activity or deliverable is important.

Process oriented work products must be Process oriented work products must be concise, must add value, and must be concise, must add value, and must be usable. There is no intent to produce usable. There is no intent to produce reams of documentation.reams of documentation.

....ContdContd The appropriate mindset for process The appropriate mindset for process

change is to understand “what’s in it for change is to understand “what’s in it for us” as a project team, an organization, or a us” as a project team, an organization, or a company and its customers, not just what’s company and its customers, not just what’s in it for any individual. in it for any individual.

The initiative will emphasize the The initiative will emphasize the importance of leveraging existing examples importance of leveraging existing examples and templates. The organization must and templates. The organization must avoid the “not invented here” syndrome, avoid the “not invented here” syndrome, choosing instead to borrow, buy, or adapt choosing instead to borrow, buy, or adapt appropriate artifacts that already exist.appropriate artifacts that already exist.

IDEAL MODELIDEAL MODEL

The ideal model assumed depicts five The ideal model assumed depicts five phases for SPI initiativephases for SPI initiative

The Initializing PhaseThe Initializing Phase The Diagnosing PhaseThe Diagnosing Phase The Establishing PhaseThe Establishing Phase The Acting PhaseThe Acting Phase The Leveraging PhaseThe Leveraging Phase

Figure showing the phases Figure showing the phases of IDEAL Modelof IDEAL Model

Process Improvement GoalsProcess Improvement Goals Short-Term GoalsShort-Term Goals

Define the SPI goals for the next 6-12 Define the SPI goals for the next 6-12 months, in terms of the areas to be months, in terms of the areas to be worked on, the improvement worked on, the improvement objectives desired, and the ways in objectives desired, and the ways in which progress toward these goals which progress toward these goals will be measured and determined will be measured and determined

..Contd..Contd Long-Term GoalsLong-Term Goals

Describe the long-term objectives of the Describe the long-term objectives of the SPI activity, over a span of 2 to 3 years. SPI activity, over a span of 2 to 3 years. These may be motherhood statements, but These may be motherhood statements, but the more they can be related to business the more they can be related to business objectives and correcting known objectives and correcting known shortcomings in the current business, the shortcomings in the current business, the more plausible they will be. Keep goals few, more plausible they will be. Keep goals few, concise, unambiguous, and measurable. concise, unambiguous, and measurable.

Manage the Software Manage the Software Process Improvement Process Improvement

programprogram Setting the stage for SPI programSetting the stage for SPI program Organizing the SPI programOrganizing the SPI program Planning the SPI programPlanning the SPI program Staffing the SPI programStaffing the SPI program Monitoring the SPI programMonitoring the SPI program Directing the SPI programDirecting the SPI program

Not all Processes are Not all Processes are successfulsuccessful

Reasons for SPI failuresReasons for SPI failures Lack of executive level sponsorshipLack of executive level sponsorship Lack of middle and first line Lack of middle and first line

management commitmentmanagement commitment Organizational culture unwilling to Organizational culture unwilling to

changechange Lack of commitment to continuous SPI Lack of commitment to continuous SPI

improvementimprovement Lack of successful resources in SPI Lack of successful resources in SPI

efforteffort

ConclusionConclusion

Is software process Is software process improvement worth improvement worth the investment?the investment?

Can a mature Can a mature process really pay process really pay for itself?for itself?

AnswerAnswer Data from many software Data from many software

companies demonstrate a companies demonstrate a positive return on investment for positive return on investment for software process improvementsoftware process improvement

Measurements includeMeasurements include expendituresexpenditures productivityproductivity qualityquality customer satisfactioncustomer satisfaction

YES!

ReferencesReferences The Process of Getting Software Process The Process of Getting Software Process

Improvement Started. Tim Kasse.Improvement Started. Tim Kasse. A User’s Guide for Software Process

Improvement. Bob Mc Feeley. https://www.software.org/catalog/listing.a

sp?idCapability=2 http://www.softwarems.com/consulting/pr

oimprov.shtml

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