Abstract:
Advances have been made in the development of software process
improvement (SPI) standards and models, i.e, Capability Maturity Model
(CMM), more recently CMMI, and ISO's SPICE. However, these advances
have not been matched by equal advances in the adoption of these standards
and models in software development which has resulted in limited success for
many SPI efforts. The current problem with SPI is not a lack of a standard or
model, but rather a lack of an effective strategy to successfully implement these
standards or models. In the literature, much attention has been paid to "what
activities to implement" rather than "how to implement" these activities. We
believe that identification of only "what activities to implement" is not
sufficient and that knowledge of "how to implement" is also required for
successful implementation of SPI programmes.
The aim of this research paper is to empirically explore the viewpoints and
experiences of practitioners regarding SPI implementation and based on the
findings to develop a model in order to guide practitioners in effectively
implementing SPI programmes. This SPI implementation model has six phases
and provides a very practical structure within which to implement SPI
programmesin organizations.
