Process Improvement

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Process Improvement Assessment

• CFICSE 2002 SP07

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Software Process

• Engineering Activities
• SW Development Process
• Process tailoring
• Process Improvement
• Assessment
• Implementation
• Tools

3
References

• The Project Managers Guide to Software
  Engineerings Best Practices
• M.J. Christensen, R.H. Thayer, IEEE, 2001, ISBN
  0-7695-1199-6
• Managing the Software Process
• Watts S. Humphrey, Addison-Wesley, ISBN
  0-201-18095-2

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Process Improvement

• The process approach to the production of quality
  software on time and within budget is based on
  the following premise
• The quality of a software system is governed by
  the quality of the process used to develop and
  maintain it.
• Thus improvement to the software process will
  lead to better quality software being produced in
  a timely manner and at a predictable cost.

this is process specific independent
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Software Process

• Software process is the collection of tools,
  methods and practices, that we use to make a
  software product and
• To predict our performance
• It can be controlled, measured and improved
• It aim for a balanced between creativity and
  repeatability

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Software Process Improvement

• Six steps to improve software capabilities
• Understand the current development process or
  processes
• Develop a vision of the desired process
• List the required process improvement actions in
  order of priority
• Produce a plan to implement the actions
• Commit the resources to execute the plan
• Start over at step 1

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Process Assessment

• Process improvement requires process assessment.
• One of the first process assessment model is
  known as the Capability Maturity Model (SW-CMM).
  Developed by the Software Engineering Institute
  (SEI) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It has
  evolved since it original form(1987) and since it
  has been an inspiration to other SW process
  assessment and improvement model.
• http//sei.cmu.edu

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Capability Maturity Model (CMM)

• used as a standard for appraising the current
  state of the organizations software process and
  as a guide for identifying and prioritizing the
  actions comprising the software process
  improvement effort.
• Made up of 5 levels and 18 key process areas (KPA)

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Process Maturity Levels
Optimizing
Managed
Defined
Repeatable
Initial
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Process Maturity Levels
Optimizing
Managed
Defined
Repeatable
Initial
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The Initial Process

• The software process is characterized as ad hoc,
  and occasionally even chaotic. Few processes are
  defined, and success depends on individual effort
  and heroics.
• No management mechanism in place to plan and
  track the work of individuals
• If procedures are established they are abandoned
  during a crisis (Which tends to be continuous)

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Process Maturity Levels
Optimizing
Process Control
Managed
Process Measurement
Defined
Process Definition
Repeatable
Basic Management Control
Initial
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The Repeatable Process

• Basic project management processes are
  established to track cost, schedule, and
  functionality. The necessary process discipline
  is in place to repeat earlier successes on
  projects with similar applications.
• Provides control over the way the organization
  establishes its plan and commitments
• Experienced at doing similar work

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To Improve to Repeatable Process

• Learn between speed and progress
• Basic project control
• Project management
• Management oversight
• Quality assurance
• Change control

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Repeatable - KPA

• Software configuration management
• Software quality assurance
• Software subcontract management
• Software project tracking and oversight
• Software project planning
• Requirements management

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Process Maturity Levels
Optimizing
Process Control
Managed
Process Measurement
Defined
Process Definition
Repeatable
Basic Management Control
Initial
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The Defined Process

• The software process for both management and
  engineering activities is documented,
  standardized, and integrated into a standard
  software process for the organization. All
  projects use an approved, tailored version of the
  organizations standard software process for
  developing and maintaining software.
• When faced with a crisis they will continue to
  use the process that has been defined

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To Improve to the Defined Process

• Establish a process group
• Establish a development process architecture
• Introduce a family of software engineering
  methods and technologies

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Defined - KPA

• Peer reviews
• Intergroup coordination
• Software product engineering
• Integrated software management
• Training program
• Software process definition
• Software process focus

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Area of greatest risk

• Organization faces major risks
• New tools will affect the process
• Entering new territory, by trying new product
• Major organizational changes can be very
  disruptive

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Process Maturity Levels
Optimizing
Process Control
Managed
Process Measurement
Defined
Process Definition
Repeatable
Basic Management Control
Initial
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The Managed Process

• Detailed measures of the software process and
  product quality are collected. Both the software
  process and products are quantitatively
  understood and controlled.
• High cost of gathering data
• Definition of the measured data
• Process data must not be used to compare projects
  or individuals.

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To Improve to the Managed Process

• Establish basic process measurements to identify
  quality and cost of each process step
• Establish database and resource to maintain it
  (gathering of data)
• Provide sufficient resource with proper skill
• Assess the quality of the process and report to
  management

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Managed KPA

• quality management
• quantitative process management

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Process Maturity Levels
Optimizing
Process Control
Managed
Process Measurement
Defined
Process Definition
Repeatable
Basic Management Control
Initial
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The Optimizing Process

• Continuous process improvement is enabled by
  quantitative feedback from the process and from
  piloting innovative ideas and technologies
• The data is available to tune the process itself
• Ability to put the resources where it counts

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To Improve to the Optimizing Process

• Automatic gathering of process data
• Use process data to analyze and modify the process

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Optimizing KPA

• Process change management
• Technology change management
• Defect prevention

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CMM Structure

• Any process at level n is deemed to be at level
  n1 if certain key process areas satisfy their
  goals.
• Common features (CF)
• commitment to perform, ability to perform,
  activities performed, measurement and analysis
  and verification of implementation

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CMM Structure (contd)
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CMM Structure (contd)

• Key Practices (Kps)
• Each common feature (CF) applied to a key process
  area (KPA) produces one or more key practices
  (Kps). In a more mathematical notation this
  might be written CF(KPA) gt KPs

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CMM Structure (contd)
Maturity Level
Indicate
Contain
Key Process Areas
Process Capability
Organized by
Achieve
Common features
Goals
Contain
Address
Key practices
Implementation
Describe
Activities
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Assessment

• SEI vs. consultants
• http//www.sei.cmu.edu/
• SPIN www.spin.org
• The Ottawa SPIN (Software Process Improvement
  Network) is a forum for the free and open
  exchange of software process improvement
  expertise, experiences and ideas. Our objective
  is to promote process improvement.

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Other Process Assessment Improvement Models

• Bootstrap (1994). Originally developed as a
  European ESPRIT project. CMM with added features
  which some includes aspect of ISO 9001 approach
  and European Space Agencys process model
  standard (PSS-05).
• Trillium (1991) developed through a partnership
  among Bell Canada, Northern Telecom and Bell
  Northern Research. Use customer-focused
  benchmark. Unlike CMM, it has a clear product
  focus.
• SPICE international initiative to create an
  international standard in the area of SW process
  assessment and improvement (ISO/IEC 15504).

35
Recall Process Improvement

• The process approach to the production of quality
  software on time and within budget is based on
  the following premise
• The quality of a software system is governed by
  the quality of the process used to develop and
  maintain it.
• Thus improvement to the software process will
  lead to better quality software being produced in
  a timely manner and at a predictable cost.

this is process specific independent.