A case study applying process and project alignment methodology

Paula Ventura Martins,Alberto Rodrigues Da Silva

doi:10.1007/bf03194496

Abstract

Abstract Software Process Improvement (SPI) is one of the main software development challenges. However, SPI standards and models (CMMI, SPICE) have not been always adopted with success. The current problem is a lack of strategy to implement successfully these standards and models. To undertake this objective is essential observe real life experiences and detect process and project mutual relationships. Without this alignment it will not be possible to find out how process management is really important to achieve organization’s strategic objectives. This paper proposes a methodology that allows the definition, evaluation and improvement of an organization software development process. This proposal, called a Process and Project Alignment Methodology (ProPAM), allows the specification of an organization development process, as well process and project alignment. ProPAM presents the following life cycle: (1) process definition; (2) project definition considering a base process model; (3) project coordination and monitoring and (4) process improvement assessment. This paper also provides an overview of the action plan to be taken within the software organizations that intent to conduct a SPI initiative. This plan includes two distinct phases: (1) specify the development process and (2) analyze projects, starting an SPI effort. In order to evaluate ProPAM, a study case is undertaken. The case study is performed following the action plan and presents all the steps of the ProPAM. Final results show that, when the organization started using ProPAM, process and project alignment reduced project planning time and effort. ProPAM also introduced new organizational practices that result in a SPI program.

Highlights

Organizational software process improvement (SPI) is a challenge to organizations to continually improve the quality and productivity of software and to keep up their competitiveness [1]
This paper proposes a methodology - Process and Project Alignment Methodology (ProPAM) - based on process and project alignment to be applied during Software Process Improvement (SPI) projects for detecting misalignment between projects and supporting processes and identifying the process elements to be changed for restoring the alignment
Standard process meta-model, e.g. Software Process Engineering Meta-model (SPEM), is not suitable for SPI, since his main goal is on process specification without any consideration regarding project management or analysis

Summary

Introduction

Organizational software process improvement (SPI) is a challenge to organizations to continually improve the quality and productivity of software and to keep up their competitiveness [1]. A Case Study Applying Process and Project Alignment Methodology improvement program and get a certification in traditional SPI approaches (e.g. CMM [3], CMMI [4], SPICE [5], and Bootstrap [6]), there is a consensus that software development environments are changing constantly and team members have no obligation to sustain original SPI activities in face of difficulties. SPI involves a series of small steps, where each change has to be introduced in the habits of the team members. All groups involved in a SPI initiative are important, project team members are the most important because they execute the process (project) and they are the central sources of input for a SPI program [8]. Project team members have an important role in planning, implementing and adapting process activities through a project

Objectives

Results

Conclusion