Software Process Improvement Essentials: The Right Mix
The Right Mix
Once you have explored your options, the first step in approaching a software process improvement initiative in order to realize the greatest outcome is to identify the right mix of:
- quality principle,
- operational method, and
- improvement technique.
It might be helpful to consider the following analogy: In many cases, it’s not a question of which apple we like better. It’s about which apple and which nuts we like and how we can put them together to make a Waldorf salad.
Blending these elements effectively requires an executive to know not only how the CMMI principle, Agile method, and Six Sigma technique work, for example, but how they can work together. They also must consider what viable options exist that might be a more suitable fit for a particular project.
There is of lot of information out there, but the challenge is uncovering the good, reliable resources. There are books, seminars, and consultants out there who can help to show project leaders and executives that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Gain Buy-In
A delicate balance must be struck between recognizing the unique challenges faced by each department involved in the software development process and keeping disparate corners of the company within bounds. It is critical for every division working on the project to be committed to the ideals behind software process improvement.
Project leaders can advocate and support joint efforts across the organizational levels. The executive role in ensuring that all stakeholders are invested in improvement initiatives is a key element. Another approach that executives can take to ensure the best possible outcome for these types of projects is laying out a plan that is long on financial goals but short on technological promises.
Business objectives may well be an excellent place to put in something that says the company plans to speed its response to the customer, for example. Perhaps, then, some specific ways for making this happen can be left to the project objectives. This doesn’t mean that customer demands and software process improvement are mutually exclusive. In fact, it can be quite the contrary, particularly as IT companies shift their focus. Part of the challenge for software process improvement professionals lies in convincing executives that these efforts are worth their time and money. A lot of people believe that IT has no return investment.
This is about to change.
Email This Article
Print This Article
