Process assessment and improvement : a practical guide

Process Assessment and Improvement: A Practical Guide, 2nd ed. provides a powerful and practical approach to improving organizations through process assessment, combined with people factors such as organizational culture and team-based improvement. Originally published in 2004 as the first practical guide to the emerging ISO/IEC 15504 standard, this second edition presents an updated version of process assessments and includes new risk methods.

The book covers three major business reasons for process assessment: setting Target Profiles, Process Capability Determination, and Process Improvement. Also provided are figures on the costs of poor quality and the benefits of improvement for organizations involved in software and IT. The comprehensive improvement programs and agile improvement methodologies presented in the book are grounded in successful practices employed in world class organizations. Useful examples, templates and tools are included.

Dedication and Acknowledgements	p. V
Practical Guide Overview	p. 1
Reader Guidance	p. 2
People-Process-Product	p. 5
The Software Crisis and Status of Software Projects today	p. 7
The need for process assessment	p. 10
Overview of Process Assessment	p. 11
User view of the ISO/IEC 15504 document set	p. 14
Standards Reading Guide	p. 15
User View - the purpose of process assessment	p. 17
Business Case - Process Improvement	p. 18
Business Case - Target Capability Profile definition	p. 25
Business Case - Process Capability Determination	p. 26
Defining Target Capability Profiles	p. 29
Target Capability Profile for Projects	p. 30
Project A p. 30
Project B p. 30
Project C p. 31
Project target capability overview	p. 31
Process Capability Gaps and Risk	p. 33
The European Space Agency Target Capability Profile	p. 37
The ESA Target Profile Approach	p. 38
Industry relevant conclusions	p. 42
Process Capability Determination	p. 45
Performing process capability determination	p. 46
The target definition stage	p. 48
The assessment and response stage	p. 49
Constructed Capability	p. 49
Unique mode example	p. 52
Concurrent mode example	p. 53
Assessing capability and responding	p. 55
The verification and risk analysis stage	p. 57
Verify Proposed Capability	p. 57
Process-oriented risk analysis and capability gaps	p. 58
Process-oriented risk	p. 58
Process-oriented risk analysis and capability gaps	p. 59
Agree Process Attribute achievement targets	p. 64
Process Improvement	p. 67
Improvement	p. 68
Process Improvement and ISO/IEC 15504	p. 72
Implementing a Process Improvement Programme	p. 75
The 9 Step Process Improvement Cycle	p. 76
Getting Started - Examine the Organization's Needs	p. 77
Initiate Process Improvement	p. 79
Perform Process Assessment - Establish Baseline	p. 81
Analyse results and risks	p. 83
Analyse risks	p. 84
Derive Action Plans	p. 88
Classify and Prioritise Action Groups	p. 89
Develop Action Plans	p. 90
Obtain Management Approval of Action Plans	p. 90
Implement Improvement Actions	p. 91
Confirm the Improvements	p. 92
Sustain Improvement Gain	p. 93
Monitor Process Performance	p. 94
The 5 Stage Agile Improvement Cycle	p. 97
Stage 1 Set Goals	p. 98
Stage 2 Think	p. 99
Stage 3 Act	p. 101
Stage 4 Review	p. 103
Stage 5 Sustain	p. 103
Improvement and culture - a wider view	p. 105
Socio-cultural survey	p. 113
Team Based Business Design Improvement	p. 119
Assessing the implementation	p. 126
Risk variant	p. 128
Agile Methods and Assessment	p. 131
Agile Development Methodologies	p. 131
DSDM and EVO	p. 132
eXtreme Programming	p. 135
Studying eXtreme Programming values and principles in practice	p. 139
eXtreme Programming, CMM and ISO/IEC 15504	p. 140
SCRUM	p. 146
Crystal	p. 149
Crystal Clear	p. 151
Crystal Orange	p. 152
Feature Driven Development	p. 154
Practical Care Issues in Agile Methods	p. 156
Performing Assessments	p. 159
Success Factors for Process Assessment	p. 160
Commitment	p. 160
Motivation	p. 161
Confidentiality	p. 161
Benefits	p. 162
Credibility	p. 162
The Generic Assessment Procedure	p. 162
Initiating the Assessment	p. 162
Assessment Planning Steps	p. 163
Planning the Assessment	p. 166
Briefing	p. 167
Data Acquisition	p. 168
Data Validation	p. 169
Process Rating	p. 169
Reporting the Results	p. 170
Assessment Work Products	p. 171
Assessment Input	p. 171
Assessment Output	p. 172
Assessment Record	p. 174
Self Assessments	p. 174
Self Assessment Initiation	p. 178
Planning	p. 179
Briefing	p. 180
Data acquisition and validation	p. 180
Process rating	p. 181
Reporting	p. 181
External Assessments	p. 182
Data collection and validation	p. 183
Process Rating	p. 183
Reporting the Results	p. 183
Quick Assessments	p. 184
Intensive Assessments	p. 186
The assessor as guide	p. 189
Improvement guide and coach	p. 192
Viewing assessment results	p. 195
Industry Experience	p. 201
Overview of industry experience - the SPICE Trials	p. 201
Space industry: risk oriented process assessment	p. 207
Consumer Electronics - the Philips experience	p. 210
Knowledge-centric innovation teams	p. 213
Philips NV Experience Conclusions	p. 214
Public Institutions: verifying process establishment	p. 215
Process Comprehension and Modelling	p. 216
Process Assessments	p. 220
Assessment method	p. 221
Assessment performance	p. 222
Benefits and Cost Effectiveness of Process Assessments	p. 222
Process Assessment Light	p. 223
Process Assessment Light Forms	p. 224
Process Assessment Light Procedure	p. 226
Offshore Joint Venture	p. 226
Automotive	p. 229
Technical environment	p. 231
Process environment	p. 231
Cultural environment	p. 232
Operational Excellence Initiative - Banking	p. 233
Improvement examples	p. 239
Process Improvement Activities in Japan	p. 242
Overall perspectives of the Process Improvement Task Force	p. 242
Software process assessment and improvement models	p. 245
Trials of ISO/IEC 15504 in Japan	p. 248
Effective usage of the outcome from the Task Force	p. 250
Templates and Examples	p. 253
Assessment Tools	p. 273
Supplementary Improvement Information	p. 279
Index	p. 285
Bibliography	p. 289

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