Some organizations are attempting to reduce the time and cost required by formal process improvement models by tailoring those models to specific needs. This paper describes a tailored version of the Software Engineering Institute's (SEI) capability maturity model (CMM) questionnaire which was developed by a large US-based Fortune 500 company for low-cost internal process improvement purposes.
Discusses the initial stages of a long-term case study designed to examine the efforts of an experienced software development team in moving to a more process-driven software development environment. This team has previously produced software that has met functional, scheduling and cost criteria as specified by their customers. The software development manager, as directed by an organizational mandate, has initiated efforts to move this team into a more structured, formalism-based development and testing environment. The Capability Maturity Model (CMM) developed by the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) is being used as the model for this effort. The group dynamic and team development aspects of this effort are being carefully monitored to determine possible sources of resistance to change and to develop intervention "just-in-time" training sessions that can address identified problem areas, particularly those that may directly affect productivity, quality and scheduling. This paper discusses initial findings in this area and addresses them within the CMM framework.
Global sourcing of software has become a viable option for many U.S. corporations. Technical solutions have removed barriers such as distance and time, but quality concerns remain. Customers are demanding that their software suppliers prove they can deliver reliable, high–quality software systems on a repeatable basis. This paper examines the ISO 9000 series of standards and the process maturity guidelines offered by the Software Engineering Institute’s (SEI) Capability Maturity Model (CMM) as well as some well–known related variants of these models that offer both customers and suppliers of software guidance on improving software quality by focusing first on process.Request access from your librarian to read this article's full text.
Summary form only given. Dozens of software process improvement network (SPIN) chapters are currently active around the globe. SPIN is an effort sponsored by the US Department of Defense (DoD) to promote worldwide software process improvement. The DoD is one of the world's largest customers of computer software, with trillion dollar plans for purchases in 1997. Moreover, software is an integral part of the defense systems developed by the DoD, so software quality is a major concern. In order to gauge the impact that such efforts may have on worldwide software process improvement, a survey was sent to national and international SPIN chapters. The survey contained questions on SPIN objectives, membership, communication, influence and future challenges. The results suggested that the main challenge of SPIN groups worldwide is to obtain top management support for software process improvement programs. The results also showed that the SPIN chapters are performing a valuable service in furthering the worldwide software process improvement effort.
Information Systems literamre has shown clear linkages between the selection of software development methodologies, the actions of software development teams, overall product quality, and user satisfaction. Rarely are these linkages emphasized, however, in current research on process improvement. This paper examines the convergence of these areas and discusses current research designed to further explore these linkages within the Capability Maturity Model (CMM) framework.
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