A standard-based framework to integrate software work in small settings

Small software companies have to work hard in order to survive. They usually find it challenging to spend time and effort on improving there operations and processes. Therefore, it is important to address such needs by the introduction of a proposed framework that specifies ways of getting things done while consciously encourage them to enhance their ability to improve. Although there are many software process improvement approaches, none of them address the human factors of small companies in a comprehensive and holistic way. Samay is a proposed framework to integrate human factors in the daily work as a way to deal with that challenge. This study suggests managing human factors but pointing out the software process life cycle. The purpose is to converge toward a continuous improvement by means of alternative mechanisms that impact on people. This framework was developed based upon reviews of relevant standards (such as ISO/IEC 29110, ISO 10018, OMG Essence and ISO/IEC 33014) and previously published studies in this field. Moreover, an expert review and validation findings supported the view that Samay could support practitioners when small software companies want to start improving their ways of work

Organizational factors shaping software process improvement in small-medium sized software teams: a multi-case analysis.

Previous work looking at software process improvement (SPI) in small organizations has highlighted difficulties faced by small organizations in implementing SPI successfully, but there is little analysis to understand why this is from an organization theory perspective. This paper presents an analysis of SPI across six software teams in the UK using a framework based on Giddens Structuration Theory. Using a structurational perspective helps to draw out how the process improvements are enabled and constrained by their context. By comparing these across the six situations the key similarities and differences across the cases are highlighted. This work extends the existing literature by helping to identify the areas of risk that need managing in small SPI initiatives. The study shows the issues as pertained to the six contexts and actions in each case. The paper highlights how the context influences the outcome

Analysis of Software Process Improvement Activities in SMEs: A Systematic Literature Review

This Software industry is a very significant cog in today’s economic landscape. The majority of these organizations mainly comprise small and medium enterprises (SMEs). These enterprises aim to benefit from Software Process Improvement (SPI) activities in producing high-quality products and services in competitive business environments. For this purpose, SPI models have been developed for specific SME characteristics. In this study, we performed a systematic literature review to analyze the characteristics of these SPI models, the challenges of performing SPI activities in SMEs, and the critical success factors for SPI activities. In this context, 61 articles published from 2007 to 2020 were examined, as a result, 28 SPI models used in SMEs were found out. In addition, ten different situations that make SPI implementations challenging in SMEs and seven factors that affect the success of SPI studies in SMEs were reported

Harmonizing CMMI-DEV 1.2 and XP Method to Improve The Software Development Processes in Small Software Development Firms

Most software development organizations are small firms, and they have realized the need to manage and improve their software development and management activities. Traditional Software Process Improvement (SPI) models and standards are not realistic for these firms because of high cost, limited resources and strict project deadlines. Therefore, these firms need a lightweight software development method and an appropriate SPI model to manage and improve their software development and management processes. This study aims to construct a suitable software development process improvement framework for Small Software Development Firms (SSDFs) based on eXtreme Programming (XP) method and Capability Maturity Model Integration for Development Version 1.2 (CMMI-Dev1.2) model. Four stages are involved in developing the framework: (1) aligning XP practices to the specific goals of CMMI-Dev1.2 Key Process Areas (KPAs); (2) developing the proposed software development process improvement framework based on extending XP method by adapting the Extension-Based Approach (EBA), CMMI-Dev1.2, and generic elements of the SPI framework; (3) verifying the compatibility of the proposed framework to the KPAs of CMMI-Dev1.2 by using focus group method coupled with Delphi technique; and (4) validating the modified framework by using CMMI-Dev1.2 questionnaire as a main item to validate the suitability of the modified framework for SSDFs, and conducting two case studies to validate the applicability and effectiveness of this framework for these firms. The result of aligning XP practices to the KPAs of CMMI-Dev1.2 shows that twelve KPAs are largely supported by XP practices, eight KPAs are partially supported by XP practices, and two KPAs are not-supported by XP practices. The main contributions of this study are: software development process improvement framework for SSDFs, elicit better understanding of how to construct the framework, and quality improvement of the software development processes. There are possible avenues for extending this research to fulfil the missing specific practices of several KPAs, examining other agile practices and using CMMI-Dev1.3 to improve the framework, and conducting more case studie

Yazılım Süreç Geliştirme Modellerinin KOBİ’lerde Kabulü için Model Geliştirilmesi: Ön Bulgular

The software industry is playing a significant role in development of economies all over the world. It is mainly made up of small and medium software enterprises (SMEs). These companies aim to benefit from Software Process Improvements (SPI) to increase product quality and productivity in a competitive environment. Several SPI models and frameworks have been developed to improve software quality in SMEs. As SPI require organizational change and adaptation to new tools, techniques and work practices; organizations have to handle with several challenges emerged from the change. In this study, we present the factors that influence the success and adoption of the SPI models and/or standards used in SMEs. We also present the preliminary findings of the SPI acceptance model that we developed based on an established behavioral theory for SMEs. A pilot survey study was conducted to analyze the model with 20 participants who work in a CMMI Level 3 company.Yazılım endüstrisi tüm dünya ekonomilerinin gelişiminde önemli bir rol oynamaktadır. Bu firmaların çoğunluğu küçük ve orta ölçekli şirketlerden (KOBİ) oluşmaktadır. Bu şirketler, rekabetçi bir ortamda ürün kalitesini ve verimliliğini artırmak için Yazılım Süreç İyileştirmelerinden (YSİ) faydalanmayı amaçlamaktadır. YSİ uygulamaları beraberinde kurumsal değişim ve yeni araçlara, tekniklere ve iş uygulamalarına adapte olmayı gerektirdiğinden; kurumlar değişimden kaynaklanan çeşitli zorluklarla başa çıkmak zorundadır. Bu çalışmada, KOBİ’lerde kullanılan YSİ model ve / veya standartlarının başarısını ve benimsenmesini etkileyen faktörler sunulmaktadır. Ayrıca, KOBİ’ler için Davranışsal Teoriye dayanarak geliştirdiğimiz YSİ kabul modelinin ön bulguları sunulmaktadır. CMMI Seviye 3 firmasında çalışan 20 katılımcı ile modeli analiz etmek için pilot bir anket çalışması yapılmıştır

Software Engineering Knowledge Areas in Startup Companies: A Mapping Study

Background - Startup companies are becoming important suppliers of innovative and software intensive products. The failure rate among startups is high due to lack of resources, immaturity, multiple influences and dynamic technologies. However, software product engineering is the core activity in startups, therefore inadequacies in applied engineering practices might be a significant contributing factor for high failure rates. Aim - This study identifies and categorizes software engineering knowledge areas utilized in startups to map out the state-of-art, identifying gaps for further research. Method - We perform a systematic literature mapping study, applying snowball sampling to identify relevant primary studies. Results - We have identified 54 practices from 14 studies. Although 11 of 15 main knowledge areas from SWEBOK are covered, a large part of categories is not. Conclusions - Existing research does not provide reliable support for software engineering in any phase of a startup life cycle. Transfer of results to other startups is difficult due to low rigor in current studies.Comment: Proceedings 6th International Conference on Software Business (ICSOB 2015), Braga, Portugal, 245-25

Capability Maturity Model Integration (Cmmi) for Small Organizations

Software Process Improvement (SPI) is a large area of expertise that deals with software development standard processes and is a progression of proven methods of process improvement from many different methodologies. Personal Software Process (PSP) and Team Software Process (TSP) complement the implementation of Capability Maturity Model Implementation (CMMI) and can be applied gradually from the individual, to the team, and then to the organization. These solutions from Carnegie Melon\u27s Software Engineering Institute (SEI) are leading edge for the field of process improvement. Solutions like this consume many resources, are very complex, require years to implement, and can be costly. The SEI solutions offer an industry standard for SPI. Three case studies were analyzed to provide insight into the benefits of CMMI for small organizations. Decisions that steer these solutions generally involve scheduling, quality, and cost. Depending on the individual needs of an organization, the CMMI technology can fulfill what is required. The example case studies were examined and concluded that given favorable conditions, implementing CMMI is feasible for small organizations

The influence of managerial experience and style on software development process

This paper presents the results of a study of how software process and software process improvement is applied in actual practice in the software industry using the indigenous Irish software product industry as a test-bed. This study focuses on the role and influence of both the Company Founder and the Software Development Manager on the initial formation of software development process practices. The results of this study contain useful lessons for software entrepreneurs who need to make decisions about process and process change within their organisations as they grow