Towards Experience Management for Very Small Entities

International audienceThe ISO/IEC 29110 standard: Lifecycle profiles for Very Small Entities, provides several Process Reference Models applicable to the vast majority of very small entities (defined by the ISO as "an entity (enterprise, organization, department or project) having up to 25 people") which do not develop critical software and share typical situational factors. An ISO/IEC 29110 pilot project has been established between the Software Engineering group at Brest University and a 14-employee company with the aim of establishing an engineering discipline for a new Web-based project. As the project proceeded, it became apparent that setting up the ISO/IEC 29110 standard has to be performed in two steps: 1) provide self-training materials to the VSE employees on this new standard; and 2) support good practices with a simple Experience Management system which is compatible with the ISO/IEC 29110 standard. This paper reports the lessons learned about training from the pilot project, and addresses the research issues associated with the Experience Management system

Experience Management for Very Small Entities: Improving the Copy-paste Model

International audienceThe emerging ISO/IEC 29110 standard Lifecycle profiles for Very Small Entities is developing a "Generic" profile group applicable to a vast majority of very small entities (enterprises, organizations, departments or projects) having up to 25 people, that do not develop critical software and have typical situational factors. The developers of the standard, ISO/IEC JCT1/SC7 Working Group 24, recommended the use of pilot projects as a mean to trial the adoption of the new International standard in small organizations. Accordingly an ISO/IEC 29110 pilot project has been established between the Software Engineering group of Brest University and a 14-person company with the aim of establishing an engineering discipline for a new web-based project. As the project proceeded, it became apparent that the current set of ISO/IEC 29110 documents describing a first profile, the Basic profile, was not sufficient to sustain this VSE in its SE activities. What was needed was to organize the knowledge contained in them. The results of this pilot study are providing VSEs with a simple Experience Management system which is compatible with the emerging ISO/IEC 29110 standard. It is founded on two principles: 1) keeping the Content Management System-based Experience Management infrastructure as simple as possible, structured with the decomposition of the ISO/IEC 29110 processes; and 2) the requirement of Experience Management dedicated processes, taken from D. Schon's work on the reflection-on-action approach to learning

On project management process in agile systems development methodologies and the ISO/IEC 29110 standard (entry profile)

The use of ISO/IEC systems and software engineering standards is recommended for software development organizations. In particular, in 2011, a new software process standard was released for Very Small Entities (VSEs): ISO/IEC 29110. Furthermore, the Agile-based System Development Methodologies (SCRUM, XP, Crystal, among others) have also gained interest by organizations. In this - in progress- research, we present an overview of the ISO/IEC 29110 standard, as well as of the Agile-based SDMs, and propose that such SDMs can be enhanced with recommendations from the ISO/IEC standard. In particular, we focus on the Project Management process – one of the two essential processes in the ISO/IEC 29110 standard – and its potential support through a Deployment Package (DP). A DP can be considered an electronic process guideline, and it is attempted to facilitate the implementation of the standard in a VSE

Un Análisis de Viabilidad del proceso de gestión de proyectos del Estándar ISO/IEC 29110: Un Estudio de Caso en una Compañía Automotora Ecuatoriana

Software process standards such as the ISO/IEC 29110 have been implemented by Very Small Entities (VSE) in order to develop quality software and achieve improvements in terms of time, budget, documentation, and other subjects. The generic profile group established in such a standard includes a set of profiles with situational factors of occurrence applicable to some VSEs. However, documented case studies of the ISO/IEC 29110 implementation in Latin America companies are limited, causing uncertainty about the viability of such a standard in VSEs established in the region. Different conditions of each environment—company type, size, country, etc.—can influence the implementation of a software project. Such a fact can affect the possibility of quality improvement by using the standard. In this paper we aim to implement the project management process included in the basic profile of the ISO/IEC 29110 in an automotive Ecuadorian company. We intend to provide VSEs a preliminary judgment in terms of time and cost overruns when developing a first-time implementation of the project management process. Besides, we summarize a set of lessons learned acquired during such an implementation. Finally, the findings of this study will allow VSEs to decide whether is convenient to implement this standard in such an environment.Estándares de procesos de software tales como ISO/ IEC 29110 se implementan en organizaciones pequeñas (en inglés, Very Small Entities, VSE) con el fin de desarrollar software de calidad y lograr mejoras en términos de tiempo, presupuesto, documentación y otros campos. El grupo de perfiles genéricos establecido en dicha norma incluye un conjunto de perfiles con factores situacionales de ocurrencia aplicables a algunas VSEs. Sin embargo, los casos de estudio documentados sobre la implementación de ISO/IEC 29110 en empresas de América Latina son limitados, generando incertidumbre sobre la viabilidad de tal estándar en VSEs establecidas en la región. Las diferentes condiciones de cada entorno (tipo de empresa, tamaño, país, etc.) pueden influir en la implementación de un proyecto de software. Este hecho puede afectar la posibilidad de mejora de la calidad mediante el uso de la norma. En este estudio se pretende implementar el proceso de gestión de proyectos incluido en el perfil básico de la norma ISO/IEC 29110 en una empresa automotriz ecuatoriana. Se procura proporcionar a las VSEs un juicio preliminar en términos de tiempo y sobrecostos al desarrollar una implementación por primera vez del proceso de gestión de proyectos. Además, se resume un conjunto de lecciones aprendidas durante dicha implementación. Finalmente, los hallazgos de este estudio permitirán a las VSEs decidir si es conveniente implementar este estándar en dicho entorno

Un Análisis de Viabilidad del proceso de gestión de proyectos del Estándar ISO/IEC 29110: Un Estudio de Caso en una Compañía Automotora Ecuatoriana

Software process standards such as the ISO/IEC 29110 have been implemented by Very Small Entities (VSE) in order to develop quality software and achieve improvements in terms of time, budget, documentation, and other subjects. The generic profile group established in such a standard includes a set of profiles with situational factors of occurrence applicable to some VSEs. However, documented case studies of the ISO/IEC 29110 implementation in Latin America companies are limited, causing uncertainty about the viability of such a standard in VSEs established in the region. Different conditions of each environment—company type, size, country, etc.—can influence the implementation of a software project. Such a fact can affect the possibility of quality improvement by using the standard. In this paper we aim to implement the project management process included in the basic profile of the ISO/IEC 29110 in an automotive Ecuadorian company. We intend to provide VSEs a preliminary judgment in terms of time and cost overruns when developing a first-time implementation of the project management process. Besides, we summarize a set of lessons learned acquired during such an implementation. Finally, the findings of this study will allow VSEs to decide whether is convenient to implement this standard in such an environment.Estándares de procesos de software tales como ISO/ IEC 29110 se implementan en organizaciones pequeñas (en inglés, Very Small Entities, VSE) con el fin de desarrollar software de calidad y lograr mejoras en términos de tiempo, presupuesto, documentación y otros campos. El grupo de perfiles genéricos establecido en dicha norma incluye un conjunto de perfiles con factores situacionales de ocurrencia aplicables a algunas VSEs. Sin embargo, los casos de estudio documentados sobre la implementación de ISO/IEC 29110 en empresas de América Latina son limitados, generando incertidumbre sobre la viabilidad de tal estándar en VSEs establecidas en la región. Las diferentes condiciones de cada entorno (tipo de empresa, tamaño, país, etc.) pueden influir en la implementación de un proyecto de software. Este hecho puede afectar la posibilidad de mejora de la calidad mediante el uso de la norma. En este estudio se pretende implementar el proceso de gestión de proyectos incluido en el perfil básico de la norma ISO/IEC 29110 en una empresa automotriz ecuatoriana. Se procura proporcionar a las VSEs un juicio preliminar en términos de tiempo y sobrecostos al desarrollar una implementación por primera vez del proceso de gestión de proyectos. Además, se resume un conjunto de lecciones aprendidas durante dicha implementación. Finalmente, los hallazgos de este estudio permitirán a las VSEs decidir si es conveniente implementar este estándar en dicho entorno

Representación de las prácticas de ISO/IEC 29110 en el núcleo de Semat

La mayoría de las empresas de tecnologías de la información y de la comunicación a nivel mundial son pequeñas organizaciones, las cuales se caracterizan por tener pocos recursos económicos. La norma ISO/IEC 29110 Software Engineering—Lifecycle Profiles for Very Small Entities (VSE) se desarrolló para mejorar la calidad de productos y/o servicios y el desempeño de los procesos para este tipo de organizaciones. Esta norma incluye una guía que proporciona los procesos de gestión de proyectos e implementación de software. Semat (Software Engineering Method and Theory) es un estándar que tiene un núcleo de elementos esenciales que son universales a todos los esfuerzos de desarrollo de software y un lenguaje sencillo para describir métodos y prácticas. Actualmente, las representaciones existentes de la norma ISO/IEC 29110 son descripciones de lo que se debe hacer y no tienen una terminología común de los elementos esenciales de la ingeniería de software, lo que dificulta a las pequeñas organizaciones la implementación de la norma y, consecuentemente, la mejora de su forma de trabajo. En esta Tesis de Maestría se propone la representación de las prácticas de la norma ISO/IEC 29110 en el núcleo de Semat, con el fin de representarlas en un terreno común para que se puedan implementar en las pequeñas organizaciones. De esta manera, se posibilita a las pequeñas organizaciones el uso de las prácticas de acuerdo con sus necesidades. Así, es posible evaluar la calidad de sus procesos y de los proveedores de sus aplicaciones. Se definen para las prácticas de la norma fases, actividades, roles y productos de trabajo mediante alfas, espacios de actividad y competencias.Abstract: Most of the information and communication technology companies in the world are very small entities. Such companies are characterized by having few economic resources. The international standard ISO/IEC 29110 Software Engineering - Lifecycle Profiles for Very Small Entities (VSE) was developed for improving product and service quality and process performance of this type of organizations. This standard includes a guide for project management and software implementation process. Semat (Software Engineering Method and Theory) is a standard which comprises a kernel of essential elements universal to all software development endeavors and a simple language for describing methods and practices. The existing representations of the standard ISO/IEC 29110 are mostly descriptions of what to do and they lack a common terminology for software engineering essential terms, so the standard implementation is difficult for very small entities and therefore they are unable to improve their way of working. In this Master Thesis we propose the representation of the ISO/IEC 29110 practices in the Semat kernel, with the purpose of having a common representation small organizations can implement. In this way, very small entities can implement the practices according to their needs and therefore they can evaluate their process and software providers. Phases, activities, roles and work products for the practices are defined with alphas, activity spaces, and competencesMaestrí

ISO/IEC 29110 and Software Engineering Education: A Systematic Mapping Study

Abstract: This article presents a study of the publications made on the ISO/IEC 29110 standard in the university context, especially from the perspective of software engineering education. ISO 29110 is a life cycle profiles for very small entities on systems and software engineering standard, published in many parts. ISO 29110, since its publication in 2011 and its continuous evolution to these days, is the subject of study in different contexts, with education being a relevant axis. Considering, that software engineering education has implications in the software industry in emerging countries, it is necessary to identify and consolidate the work done in this context. In this study, the main research question was what researches have been done at ISO 29110 in the training of software engineers? To answer this question, a systematic mapping study (SMS) was performed. In the SMS, 241 articles were obtained with search string and 17 of them became as primary study after a process selection. Based on these studies, it was possible to determine that the software engineering Basic profile of ISO 29110 and its processes (Project Management and Software Implementation) have been the most studied. Besides, it was identified that project-oriented learning and gamification techniques have been the most used ISO 29110 learning strategies in the training of future software industry professionals

Evaluating management sentiment towards ISO/IEC 29110 in very small software development companies

This paper presents the results of a set of interviews with senior management in a series of very small software development companies, which were conducted to gauge their opinion, attitude and sentiment towards the of new standard, ISO/IEC 29110 Life Cycle Profiles for Very Small Entities (VSEs). This paper serves as a roadmap for both researchers wishing to understand the issues of process standards adoption by very small companies and also for the software process standards community

Understanding the perception of very small software companies towards the adoption of process standards

This paper is concerned with understanding the issues that affect the adoption of software process standards by Very Small Entities (VSEs), there needs from process standards and there willingness to engage with the new ISO/IEC 29110 standard in particular. In order to achieve this goal, a series of industry data collection studies were undertaken with a collection of VSEs. A twin track approach of a qualitative data collection (interviews and focus groups) and quantitative data collection (questionnaire), with data analysis being completed separately and finally results merged, using the coding mechanisms of grounded theory. This paper serves as a roadmap for both researchers wishing to understand the issues of process standards adoption by very small companies and also for the software process standards community

Software engineering standards and guides for very small entities: implementation in two start-ups

Very small entities, enterprises, organizations, projects or departments with up to 25 people, are very important to the worldwide economy. However it has ben established that such entities often do not utilize existing standards and frameworks. To address the needs of Very Small Entities (VSEs), a set of international standards and guides known as ISO/IEC 29110 has been developed. In this paper we present the results of early trials of this standard in two IT start-ups VSEs. A Peruvian VSE was recently audited and issued an ISO/IEC 29110 certificate of conformity