Introduction

To create high-quality software on time and within budget, it is important to go through a series of predictable steps, which are like a road map. This road map is called a software process. Software processes form the harness for the technical methods used to build software and are essential for project planning and execution. They are defined to meet certain objectives, such as product quality or ability to meet a schedule.

When a process is implemented, it is necessary to check whether the process is actually achieving what it was intended to and how it can be improved. Software process improvement is an ongoing activity that helps to continuously improve the quality of software built by an organization. Various process improvement and process assessment models are available for evaluating and improving processes.

Software Process Improvement course includes:

• An Introduction to Software Process Improvement
• Cyclical Model for Software Process Improvement
• Quality models for Process Assessment and Improvement
• The Pareto Principle

This course has been co-authored by the internationally recognized consultant and authority on software engineering—Dr. Roger S. Pressman.

Course Benefits

This course will enable you to:

• Explain what software process improvement is and the various approaches adopted for it.
• Describe the steps involved in a generic cyclical software process improvement model.
• Explain how quality models can be used for assessment and process improvement by using the example of Software Capability Maturity Model® of Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. (®Capability Maturity model is registered in the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office by Carnegie Mellon University. )
• Explain the use of the Pareto principle to decide the focus of process improvement efforts.

You receive a certificate of completion after successfully completing this course.

Content Brief

In an organization, processes are introduced to achieve certain objectives, such as producing high-quality software. Processes need to be checked to see whether they are achieving these objectives. They need to be improved to correct problems, if any. Process improvement is, therefore, an essential on-going activity and has to be performed in a systematic manner. It works best if implemented in small increments. Organizations typically follow an approach of denial, chaos, dictatorship, or common sense for process improvement.

The generic model for process improvement is cyclical in nature and has six steps as given below.

• Assessment
• Education
• Selection
• Justification
• Installation
• Evaluation