Knowledge Management in Software Process Improvement

2011 ◽  
pp. 273-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuib Bin Basri ◽  
Rory V. O’Connor
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Software Development ◽  
Process Improvement ◽  
Software Process ◽  
Software Process Improvement ◽  
Management Style ◽  
Software Development Process ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Informal Environment ◽  
Small Team

This chapter discusses knowledge management (KM) aspects of how software process and software process improvement (SPI) is practiced within very small entities (VSEs) in the context of Irish software development industry. In particular, this study is concerned with the process of software development knowledge management in supporting the SPI. In order to understand the support process, the authors of this chapter have studied how KM processes are practiced within VSEs which includes communication, learning, sharing, and documentation process. This study also focuses in detail on the issues of the knowledge atrophy problem in VSEs. The findings explain how KM has been practiced and influenced the software development process and process improvement in VSEs. This result indicates that KM processes in VSEs are being undertaken in a very informal manner and also in indirect way. This is due to a small team size, autonomous working and macro-management style and caused VSEs to be more informal in their KM processes specifically and SPI generally. In addition, the results have indicated that the informal environment and culture helped VSEs to easily create and share knowledge between staff members and also assisted VSEs to mitigate the knowledge atrophy problem in their organization.

Software Process Improvement for Small and Very Small Enterprises

2014 ◽  
pp. 1363-1384
Author(s):  
Mohammad Zarour ◽  
Alain Abran ◽  
Jean-Marc Desharnais
Keyword(s):  
Software Development ◽  
Process Improvement ◽  
Development Process ◽  
Software Process ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Software Process Improvement ◽  
Assessment Methods ◽  
Small Enterprises ◽  
Software Development Process ◽  
Improvement Process

Software organizations have been struggling for decades to improve the quality of their products by improving their software development processes. Designing an improvement program for a software development process is a demanding and complex task. This task consists of two main processes: the assessment process and the improvement process. A successful improvement process requires first a successful assessment; failing to assess the organization’s software development process could create unsatisfactory results. Although very small enterprises (VSEs) have several interesting characteristics such as flexibility and ease of communications, initiating an assessment and improvement process based on well-known Software Process Improvement (SPI) models such as Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) and ISO 15504 is more challenging in such VSEs. Accordingly, researchers and practitioners have designed a few assessment methods to meet the needs of VSEs organizations to initiate an SPI process. This chapter discusses the assessment and improvement process in VSEs; we first examine VSEs characteristics and problems. Next, we discuss the different assessment methods and standards designed to fit the needs of such organizations and how to compare them. Finally, we present future research work perceived in this context.

Effect of knowledge management on software product experience with mediating effect of perceived software process improvement: An empirical study for Indian software industry

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 258-272
Author(s):  
Mitali Chugh ◽  
Nitin Chanderwal ◽  
Rajesh Upadhyay ◽  
Devendra Kumar Punia
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Empirical Study ◽  
Software Development ◽  
Process Improvement ◽  
Software Process ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Software Process Improvement ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Software Product ◽  
The Impact

The software development industry is characterised by swift innovation and competition. To survive, software engineering (SE) organisations need to develop high-quality software products in a timely fashion and at low cost. Knowledge-based approaches to software development are extremely supportive to acquiring new knowledge and leveraging existing knowledge from software projects; this enables constant improvement of software development practices. In this empirical study of Indian SE organisations, we study the impact of managing knowledge for perceived software process improvement (PSPI) and its effect on software product quality. Information technology (IT) in knowledge management (KM) is an important facilitator for any SE organisation desiring to exploit evolving technologies for management of their knowledge assets and for carrying out various KM processes of knowledge capture, storage, retrieval and sharing. Surveys collected from Indian SE organisations were analysed to propose a model using a structured equation modelling (SEM) technique. Our findings reveal that the relation between KM and quality of software product is positively mediated by PSPI. These findings reinforce an arena that is of growing importance to researchers and practitioners and which has seen only a limited number of empirical studies to date in the context of Indian SE organisations.

scholarly journals The Effect of Team Dynamics on Software Development Process Improvement

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 13-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rory O’Connor ◽  
Shuib Basri
Keyword(s):  
Software Development ◽  
Process Improvement ◽  
Development Process ◽  
Software Process ◽  
Software Process Improvement ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Team Dynamics ◽  
Software Development Process ◽  
Software Development Teams ◽  
The Impact

This article identifies the effect of team dynamics in the context of software development teams and its impact on software process improvement (SPI) activities in very small companies, in order to understand the relationship between these two variables. Most software development work is done by teams of software engineers working together in a collaborative manner to execute a software development process. Although there is much literature examining software process and how to improve it, less attention has been paid to the issues of team-working and specifically the impact of team dynamics on the software development process. Team dynamics is the term used to define how people work and interact together in teams. Teamwork is more effective with the existence of positive team dynamic, as it encourages a better working environment with satisfied, fulfilled employees who will in turn be more productive. This paper presents the results of a research study of team dynamics in very small software development companies and its impact on the software development process and software process improvement activities.

Software Process Improvement for Small and Very Small Enterprises

2011 ◽  
pp. 183-204
Author(s):  
Mohammad Zarour ◽  
Alain Abran ◽  
Jean-Marc Desharnais
Keyword(s):  
Software Development ◽  
Process Improvement ◽  
Development Process ◽  
Software Process ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Software Process Improvement ◽  
Assessment Methods ◽  
Small Enterprises ◽  
Software Development Process ◽  
Improvement Process

Software organizations have been struggling for decades to improve the quality of their products by improving their software development processes. Designing an improvement program for a software development process is a demanding and complex task. This task consists of two main processes: the assessment process and the improvement process. A successful improvement process requires first a successful assessment; failing to assess the organization’s software development process could create unsatisfactory results. Although very small enterprises (VSEs) have several interesting characteristics such as flexibility and ease of communications, initiating an assessment and improvement process based on well-known Software Process Improvement (SPI) models such as Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) and ISO 15504 is more challenging in such VSEs. Accordingly, researchers and practitioners have designed a few assessment methods to meet the needs of VSEs organizations to initiate an SPI process. This chapter discusses the assessment and improvement process in VSEs; we first examine VSEs characteristics and problems. Next, we discuss the different assessment methods and standards designed to fit the needs of such organizations and how to compare them. Finally, we present future research work perceived in this context.

An Evaluation of Software Development Practices among Small Firms in Developing Countries

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 45-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Delroy Chevers ◽  
Annette M. Mills ◽  
Evan Duggan ◽  
Stanford Moore
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Software Development ◽  
Process Improvement ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Software Process ◽  
Software Process Improvement ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Capability Maturity ◽  
Software Product ◽  
Software Development Practices

For software development firms to be competitive they must assure the quality of the software product. This has led many firms to adopt software process improvement (SPI) programs such as the capability maturity model integration (CMMI). However, for small software firms, especially those in developing countries with limited resources, these programs are often too cumbersome and costly to implement. To address this issue, this paper proposes a simplified SPI model for small firms (SPM-S) comprised of 10 key software development practices; with fewer practices, the proposed model should be more accessible and less costly to implement. Using data collected in four developing countries in the English-speaking Caribbean from 112 developer/user dyads, the model is evaluated with respect to its impact on software quality. The findings show that the software development process coupled with supporting technology (e.g. project management tools) significantly impact software product quality. Implications for software process improvement in small firms and future research are discussed.

scholarly journals CMMI and Ideal in Software Process Improvement

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Software Development ◽  
Process Improvement ◽  
Software Process ◽  
Software Process Improvement ◽  
Critical Factors ◽  
Development Processes ◽  
The Ideal

Different models and standards have been developed with the purpose of improving software development processes and obtaining quality products and achieving customer satisfaction. Despite the efforts that organizations make, they do not always achieve these results. In this article we present the results of the implementation of best practices established by the CMMI model using the IDEAL and SCAMPI B methodology. The results show that applying best practices helps organizations to improve their processes, minimize the number of defects and increase customer satisfaction. Likewise, the critical factors that were considered and aspects to be considered in the deployment of processes are presented.

Managing Tacit Knowledge to Improve Software Processes

2014 ◽  
pp. 143-160
Author(s):  
Alberto Heredia ◽  
Javier García-Guzmán ◽  
Fuensanta Medina-Domínguez ◽  
Arturo Mora-Soto
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Change Management ◽  
Tacit Knowledge ◽  
Process Improvement ◽  
Software Process ◽  
Software Process Improvement ◽  
Development Cost ◽  
Software Product ◽  
New Knowledge ◽  
Software Processes

In general, software process improvement entails significant benefits such as increased software product quality, decreased time and development cost, and decreased risks. To obtain these, organizations must apply knowledge management because the identification of new knowledge is considered key to success when improving software processes. Existing knowledge is, however, difficult to find, and when found, it is often difficult to reuse in practice. This is due to the fact that a considerable part of the knowledge that is useful for executing software processes is tacit and not all of it can be captured and made explicit. The purpose of this chapter is to present a framework for software process improvement based on the enrichment of organizational knowledge by means of the acquisition of tacit knowledge from individuals working in different teams and environments. The framework includes the specification of roles, processes, and tools, and is based on a process asset library and the introduction of configuration and change management mechanisms.

Managing Tacit Knowledge to Improve Software Processes

2017 ◽  
pp. 1567-1585
Author(s):  
Alberto Heredia ◽  
Javier García-Guzmán ◽  
Fuensanta Medina-Domínguez ◽  
Arturo Mora-Soto
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Change Management ◽  
Tacit Knowledge ◽  
Process Improvement ◽  
Software Process ◽  
Software Process Improvement ◽  
Development Cost ◽  
Software Product ◽  
New Knowledge ◽  
Software Processes

In general, software process improvement entails significant benefits such as increased software product quality, decreased time and development cost, and decreased risks. To obtain these, organizations must apply knowledge management because the identification of new knowledge is considered key to success when improving software processes. Existing knowledge is, however, difficult to find, and when found, it is often difficult to reuse in practice. This is due to the fact that a considerable part of the knowledge that is useful for executing software processes is tacit and not all of it can be captured and made explicit. The purpose of this chapter is to present a framework for software process improvement based on the enrichment of organizational knowledge by means of the acquisition of tacit knowledge from individuals working in different teams and environments. The framework includes the specification of roles, processes, and tools, and is based on a process asset library and the introduction of configuration and change management mechanisms.

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