Software Process Assessment and Improvement

One of the first in its field, and set apart from other products by its experimental flavour, this CD-ROM focuses on an area of increasing popularity, particularly in the defence and telecommunications sectors. The international team of contributors presents a wide-ranging view on the conduct and use of software process assessment, particularly in the context of improvement.

Chapter 1 presents an historical and organisational perspective, showing how the concepts of Software Process Assessment are linked to the philosophies of TQM. This is followed by a description of some theoretical perspectives. Chapter 3 reports on the application of assessment-oriented approaches to a wide range of problem situations. In Chapter 4 the quantitative validity of the assessment approach is explored while Chapter 5 examines the Capability Maturity Model and the Bootstrap method - two of the principal approaches to process assessment. Chapter 6 discusses assessment in Management Information Systems, employing case studies as illustrations. Chapter 7 explores different approaches to assessment including the ISO-conforming quality systems. Chapter 8 describes the developmental history of the quality management system of a leading Finnish software house. Finally, Chapter 9 presents the Software Improvement Model - a new model for software process assessment and improvement.