Terence Patrick Rout

SPICE in retrospect: Developing a standard for process assessment

The SPICE Project was established in 1993 to support the development, validation and transition into use of an International Standard for software process assessment. Its efforts have resulted in the publication of a five-part Standard for Process Assessment, ISO/IEC 15504. This paper reviews the evolution of the Standard, and reflects on the parallel achievements of the SPICE Project and the standardisation effort in advancing the state of the art in process assessment and improvement.

Process improvement for small firms: An evaluation of the RAPID assessment-based method

With increasing interest by the software development community in software process improvement (SPI), it is vital that SPI programs are evaluated and the reports of lessons learned disseminated. This paper presents an evaluation of a program in which low-rigour, one-day SPI assessments were offered at no cost to 22 small Australian software development firms. The assessment model was based on ISO/IEC 15504 (SPICE). About 12 months after the assessment, the firms were contacted to arrange a follow-up meeting to determine the extent to which they had implemented the recommendations from the assessment. Comparison of the process capability levels at the time of assessment and the follow-up meetings revealed that the process improvement program was effective in improving the process capability of 15 of these small software development firms. Analysis of the assessment and follow-up reports explored important issues relating to SPI: elapsed time from assessment to follow-up meeting, the need for mentoring, the readiness of firms for SPI, the role of the owner/manager, the advice provided by the assessors, and the need to record costs and benefits. Based on an analysis of the program and its outcomes, firms are warned not to undertake SPI if their operation is likely to be disrupted by events internal to the firm or in the external environment. Firms are urged to draw on the expertise of assessors and consultants as mentors, and to ensure the action plan from the assessment is feasible in terms of the timeframe for evaluation. The RAPID method can be improved by fostering a closer relationship between the assessor and the firm sponsor; by making more extensive use of feedback questionnaires after the assessment and follow-up meeting; by facilitating the collection and reporting of cost benefit metrics; and by providing more detailed guidance for the follow-up meeting. As well as providing an evaluation of the assessment model and method, the outcomes from this research have the potential to better equip practitioners and consultants to undertake software process improvement, hence increasing the success of small software development firms in domestic and global markets.

Software process improvement for component-based software engineering: an introduction to the OOSPICE project

Software process improvement is generally regarded as a key to economic success by increasing the quality of software systems, accelerating time-to-market and decreasing development costs. Component-based software engineering, as an emerging development paradigm, targets very similar goals by focusing on the assembly of software systems from components and emphasising software reuse. This paper firstly provides an overview on the breadth and complexity of component-based development and then considers software process assessment and improvement in the context of component-based software engineering, identifying the major deficiencies of both fields with respect to the other. Based on these insights, an introduction to the EU-funded project OOSPICE (IST-1999-29073) focusing on overcoming these deficiencies is provided by detailing the projects domain, its rationale, objectives and outcomes.

ISO/IEC 15504 - Evolution to an International Standard

This article describes the work currently being undertaken to help ISO/IEC TR 15504 progress to the status of a full International Standard, and outlines the changes in design that are to be incorporated in the revision. It describes the inputs for the design decisions that were taken; identifies the fundamental changes in the architecture of the Standard; and briefly describes the current status of the development of the Standard. Copyright

Creating the OOSPICE model architecture: a case of reuse

The OOSPICE project aims at creating a capability assessment package for component-based development (CBD), which complements and extends the ISO 15504 technical report (SPICE) and its pending standard. In addition, it will offer support for process definition, creation and tailoring in the CBD domain. The major deliverables are a process reference model for CBD, a process assessment methodology, a new CBD methodology and supporting toolset, and an underpinning CBD process metamodel. Here, we evaluate the various terminologies in current usage in OO, CBD, capability assessment and the ISO standards, and then describe the important architectural framework of the project, which brings together the two previously disparate fields of process and methodology metamodeling with capability assessment and improvement. Additionally, we show how elements of preexisting standards, such as ISO 15504 and ISO 12207, as well as elements of existing OO process metamodels can be successfully reused to create a standard for this new focus on component-based systems development. Copyright

Addressing the challenges of replications of surveys in software engineering research

Surveys are a popular research tool often used in empirical software engineering studies. While researchers are urged to replicate existing surveys, such replication brings with it challenges. This paper presents a concrete example of a replication of a survey used to determine the extent of adoption of software development best practice. The study replicated a European survey which was adapted and administered in a different context of Australian software development organisations. As well as discussing problems encountered, this paper presents a set of recommendations formulated to overcome identified challenges. Implementation of the recommendations would strengthen the value and contribution of surveys to the body of knowledge of empirical software engineering research.

The Evolving Picture of Standardisation and Certification for Process Assessment

The International Standard for Process Assessment, ISO/IEC 15504, has evolved over a period of almost twenty years, supported by extensive research and empirical study. A forthcoming revision of the Standard is intended to transform it from a single, multi-part standard to a set of related standards using a defined numeric range. This transformation will lead to an expanded range of application, and to a significantly more open standards framework. The revised requirements for the Standard envisage that it will address the assessment of other process characteristics beyond that of process capability, which has been the focus of attention to date. The scope also makes possible the extension of assessment to fields outside the ICT domain. Hand in hand with this evolution is a concentration on verification of conformance, with a view to formal certification of the results of assessments, whether in terms of profiles of Process Capability, or of Organizational Maturity. The proposed scope of work also incorporates a body of knowledge for process assessment, setting a standard for eventual certification of assessment professionals.

Software engineering standards and the development of multimedia-based systems

A structured methodology for the development of multimedia systems has been developed based upon a coherent and disciplined process model drawn from the framework of software engineering standards concerned with the software life-cycle. The methodology incorporates effective management and control into a staged view of a product life-cycle. Preliminary validation of the approach has confirmed the usefulness of a process-focused approach and has identified a number of areas for further improvement and evolution. The applicability of software engineering standards to this purpose is evidence of their value in their designated domain and in other related areas. The synergy observed is an indication that models of software life-cycle processes may have more general applicability.

Can the effectiveness of software processes be assessed

A conceptual model is presented for the assessment of the effectiveness of software processes. The model distinguishes between three levels — the organization, the process, and the constituent activities, and proposes appropriate indicators for each level. The validity of the model has been investigated through an empirical case study of the configuration management process in a small software development organization, and preliminary results demonstrate its validity and usefulness.

Software-mediated Process Assessment

Software is increasingly been used to provide system functionality that is related to safety. From systems point-of-view safety is often considered to be a probabilistic property and development process has less significance. For software this approach is not necessarily valid. This article studies the applicable process scope in relation to safety requirements for software. Based on a new concept of process quality characteristics, process quality attributes for safety are tentatively defined. The aim of the presented process quality characteristic for safety is that risks related to achievement of safety goals in software development can be evaluated with process assessment. Key results would be increased trust in safety of software-intensive systems and established safety culture in development organizations.