On the Business Impact of Software Process Improvement (original) (raw)

Implementing software process improvement: an empirical study

Software Process: Improvement and Practice, 2002

In this paper we present survey data characterizing the implementation of SPI in 85 UK companies. We aim to provide SPI managers with more understanding of the critical success factors of implementing SPI. We present an analysis of the critical implementation factors identified in published case studies. We use a questionnaire to measure the use of these factors in 'typical' software companies. We found that many companies use SPI but the effectiveness of SPI implementation is variable. Many companies inadequately resource SPI and fail to evaluate the impact of SPI. On the other hand, companies show a good appreciation of the human factors associated with implementing SPI.

A Model for the Implementation of Software Process Improvement: An Empirical Study

2004

Little attention has been paid in the literature on "how to implement" software process improvement (SPI) which has resulted in limited success for many SPI efforts. In this paper we report on our recent empirical study which explored the experiences and perceptions of practitioners about SPI implementation. We visited 11 companies and conducted 14 in-depth interviews. Using the different experiences and opinions of practitioners regarding SPI implementation, we have developed a model for the implementation of SPI programmes. This model has six phases -awareness, learning, pilot implementation, SPI implementation action plan, implementation across the organization and maintenance -and provides advice to practitioners in effectively implementing SPI programmes.

A model for the implementation of software process improvement: a pilot study

2003

Linking software process improvement to business strategies: experiences from industry

Software Process: Improvement and Practice, 2000

The major bottleneck to the success of an SPI initiative is the lack of business orientation in the way the program is run. The post-assessment phase or how to translate assessment results into adequate improvement actions is being overdocumented compared to the assessment phase. In this article experiences and lessons learnt from two industry sources in the defense and telecommunication areas are covered. Improvement strategies based on ensuring a continuous link between the program and the business goals of the organization is advocated (e.g. the ami® approach).

Process Improvement in Four Small Software Companies

2001

For many small software companies, full-scale software process improvement (SPI) initiatives are often out of reach due to prohibitive costs and lack of SPI knowledge. However, to compete in the global market, software developers must improve their productivity, time to market and customer satisfaction.

Strategic Issues on Implementing a Software Process Improvement Program

Proceedings of the 2015 InSITE Conference, 2015

Software technology has high impact on the global economy as in many sectors of contemporary society. As a product enabling the most varied daily activities, the software product has to be produced reflecting high quality. Software quality is dependent on its development that is based in a large set of software development processes. However, the implementation and continuous improvement of software process aimed at software product should be carefully institutionalized by software development organizations such as software factories, testing factories, V&V organizations, among others. The institutionalization of programs such as a Software Process Improvement Program, or SPI Program, require a strategic planning, which is addressed in this article from the perspective of specific models and frameworks, as well as reflections based on software process engineering models and standards. In addition, a set of strategic drivers is proposed to assist the implementation of a Strategic Pla...

A framework for evaluation and prediction of software process improvement success

Journal of Systems and Software, 2001

The literature shows that software process improvement (SPI) is a current popular approach to software quality and that many companies are undertaking formal or informal SPI programs. However, the anticipated improvements to software quality through SPI have not, as yet, been fully realised. Many companies are neither ready nor equipped to implement a successful SPI program: how do companies evaluate and validate the necessary organisational requirements for the establishment of a successful SPI program? This paper examines the outcomes of a UK study of a sample of SPI programs and compares these programs with an evaluation framework we have developed. The validated framework will help companies conduct a self-assessment of their readiness to undertake SPI. Ó

A Case Study of Software Process Improvement Implementation

Software Engineering and Knowledge Engineering, 2010

Managing a successful Software Process Improvement (SPI) is a challenging issue that many software companies face today. Many companies have invested huge amount of money in improving their software processes. This can be confirmed through several papers that present the results of SPI programs. However, as pointed out by the literature, many of these programs have encountered difficulties to achieve the desired benefits. This is usually not caused by incorrect new processes, but due to inadequate SPI implementation and, particularly inadequate SPI adoption. This paper evaluates an SPI program, discussing its implementation problems with emphasis on adoption issues. The analysis was carried out as a case study in a software development organization. Our findings suggest that other than finance, technology and other issues, several implementation aspects, in particular effective adoption strategy, are needed to achieve a successful SPI program. Our main contribution is to give evidences that an SPI implementation process can be assessed and improved using objective measurements and available methods and practices. In particular, we measure the adoption of an SPI practice, analyzing the evolution of the improved practices rework during the development of two software projects.

SPI: "I can't get no satisfaction" - directing process improvement to meet business needs

Software Quality Journal, 1997

IT managers commonly complain of lack of resources for Software Process Improvement (SPI) projects. The authors postulate that this comes from lack of understanding by the company board of the benefit of SPI, and perhaps a lack of understanding by IT managers of the needs of the company board? So how can IT managers obtain satisfaction? A shortcoming of the

Framework to Evaluate Software Process Improvement in Small Organizations

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2008

Organizations of all sizes understand the benefits to consider Software Process Improvements (SPI) investments, still many of them and in particular the smaller ones are reluctant to embrace this kind of initiatives. A systemic model is presented in this article as a tool aiming aiming to provide an initial understanding over the behavior of the different organizational variables involved and their complex interactions within a SPI effort, their contribution to the improvement effort, the resulting value sensitivity to model parameters, the systemic relations at large and the limits derived from the holistic interaction of all in order to be used as a scenario analysis tool to identify the SPI strategies which best suit a given organization business context thru the maximization of the value obtained from the investment.

On the Business Impact of Software Process Improvement (original) (raw)

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