Improving Software Organizations: From Principles to Practice

Global competition, the time sensitivity of the new Internet economy, and increasing customer demand for better software quality are pushing companies to undertake software process improvement (SPI) initiatives. Numerous software organizations worldwide have implemented these initiatives with varying degrees of success. Many have adhered to standard SPI practice, only to experience less-than-satisfactory results when the execution proves more difficult than expected and enthusiasm and resources wane. Improving Software Organizations offers a modern perspective on SPI. It outlines and discusses what it takes to move from SPI theory to successful SPI initiatives. Based on the results of the three-year National Danish SPI Initiative, this book draws on the experiences of four world-class companies Danske Data, Br el & Kj Ericsson Denmark, and Systematic Software Engineering. It presents a proven roadmap for successful SPI. It distills in-depth studies of these organizations the strategies, approaches, and specific techniques that yielded tangible results. It presents a comprehensive framework for planning and executing successful SPI projects throughout the project lifecycle. Improving Software Organizations presents the major lessons learned in the four companies. It provides an overview of the theories and models that formed the basis of the SPI initiatives. It also provides an in-depth examination of the four companies development organizations, how each began the SPI initiative, what mistakes were made, and how they ultimately succeeded. You will learn: The five key principles of the SPI focus on problems, emphasize knowledge creation, encourage participation, integrate leadership, and plan for continuous improvement How diverse companies adapt standard SPI theory to achieve desired results How to structure learning conditions in SPI initiatives Maturity level assessments, including CMM, BOOTSTRAP, and other customized approaches Knowledge transfer, customer maturity, and organizational learning Proper paths for carrying out risk assessments The specifics of implementing a metrics program Tips on improving requirements specification For each of the five SPI principles, the book offers examples from practice that demonstrate how successful organizations approached the issue. From these examples and the more detailed case studies, you will gain the understanding of how to design, implement, and execute an SPI initiative that is right for your organization. 0201758202B10162

Table of Contents:
I. LEARNING TO IMPROVE.  1. Learning SPI in Practice.  2. Mapping SPI Ideas and Practices. II. LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCE.  3. The Correct Effort.  4. The Ambitious Effort.  5. The Grassroots Effort.  6. The Adolescent Effort. III. INITIATING LEARNING.  7. Learning from Assessments.  8. From Problem Reports to Better Products.  9. Problem Diagnosis in SPI. 10. Project Assessments. 11. A Framework for Selecting an Assessment Strategy. IV. ORGANIZING FOR LEARNING. 12. Knowing and Implementing SPI. 13. Improving Customer Relations. 14. Strategies for Organizational Learning in SPI. V. TECHNIQUES FOR LEARNING TO IMPROVE. 15. Implementing SPI: An Organizational Approach. 16. Risk Management in Process Action Teams. 17. Principles of Metrics Implementation. 18. Better Requirements. Appendix A: Risk and Action Tables. Research Team. Index. 0201758202T10102001

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