Willem Bekkers

The design of focus area maturity models

Maturity models are a well-known instrument to support the improvement of functional domains in IS, like software development or testing While maturity models may share a common structure, they have to be developed anew for each functional domain Focus area maturity models are distinguished from fixed-level maturity models, like CMM, in that they are especially suited to the incremental improvement of functional domains In this paper we present a generic method for developing focus area maturity models based on both extensive industrial experience and scientific investigation In doing so, we show two examples of focus area maturity models, one for enterprise architecture and one for software product management We used a design science research process to develop the method presented.

The Influence of Situational Factors in Software Product Management: An Empirical Study

Current research in the field of software product management (SPM) and software process improvement does not take the situational context of a company into account. Taking the context into account, allows small and medium sized companies to improve their SPM processes in a more optimal manner. This research shows that situational factors (SFs) influence the selection process of method fragments for SPM in two applications: SPM process maintenance - the influence level of SFs on the SPM processes: if the SF changes value the SPM process may need to be changed; and method fragment choice - selecting a method which fits the situational context of the company. This paper presents a list of 27 situational factors in 5 categories, relevant to SPM, with the level of influence they have on the selection of (parts of) methods.

A Framework for Process Improvement in Software Product Management

This paper presents a comprehensive overview of all the important areas within Software Product Management (SPM). The overview has been created and validated in collaboration with many experts from practice and the scientific community. It provides a list of 68 capabilities a product software organization should implement to reach a full grown SPM maturity. The overview consists of the SPM Competence Model that shows the areas of importance to SPM, and the SPM Maturity Matrix that lists all important activities within those areas in a best practice implementation order. SPM organizations can use this matrix to map and improve their SPM practices incrementally.

Developing a Maturity Matrix for Software Product Management

The quality of processes in Software Product Management (SPM) has a high impact on the success of a software product, as it improves product quality and prevents release delays. To improve the SPM practice, we propose the maturity matrix for SPM, a focus area oriented maturity model concentrating on the SPM functions Requirements Management, Release Planning, Product Roadmapping, and Portfolio Management. In this paper, we describe the development of the SPM maturity matrix, consisting of (a) identification and description of capabilities, (b) positioning the capabilities at the right levels in the maturity matrix and (c) validating the maturity matrix with expert validation and a survey among 45 product managers and product management experts. The result is a validated maturity matrix that will guide further development of methodical support in SPM.

The Situational Assessment Method put to the test: Improvements based on case studies

This paper presents an improved Situational Assessment Method (SAM) for Software Product Management (SPM). The improvement is the result of an evaluation process, of which one of the cases is included in this paper. The SAM is tool which allows product managers to evaluate and improve their processes in an incremental manner. It does this by determining which capabilities the organization has currently achieved, and what capabilities should be achieved. A gap analysis can then be performed which results in an advice to implement specific capabilities. This advice includes suggestions for method fragments (best practices) which the organization can use to achieve the capabilities.

Evaluating the Software Product Management Maturity Matrix

Product managers play a pivotal role in maximizing value for software companies. To assist product managers in their activities the Software Product Management (SPM) Maturity Matrix has been created that enables product managers to benchmark their organization, assess individual processes and apply best practices to create an effective SPM environment. Although a number of case studies and expert evaluations have been performed, a large scale quantitative analysis has not yet been conducted to evaluate this instrument. This research evaluates and improves the SPM Maturity Matrix based on 62 case studies. The cases were analyzed to uncover anomalies: blocking questions, blocking levels, and undifferentiating questions. The anomalies were then discussed in a workgroup with experts which resulted in suggested improvements to address the anomalies. The suggestions of the workgroup will be used to improve the SPM Maturity Matrix. As an additional result, the case studies also provide valuable insight into the maturity of software companies in industry.