Process Improvement in Practice

by Dyba, Tore; Dingsyr, Torgeir; Moe, Nils Brede

• ISBN13: 9781402078699
• ISBN10: 1402078692
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-04-30
• Publisher: Kluwer Academic Pub

Summary

Faster, better and cheaper are challenges that IT-companies face every day. The customer's expectations shall be met in a world where constant change in environment, organization and technology are the rule rather that the exception. A solution for meeting these challenges is to share knowledge and experience - use the company's own experience, and the experience of other companies. Process Improvement in Practice - A Handbook for IT Companies tackles the problems involved in launching these solutions. Process Improvement in Practice - A Handbook for IT Companies is designed for small IT companies who wish to start with systematic improvement. The methods and techniques in this handbook are tried in practice, and have proven to be easy to use and scalable for local needs. Managers and developers will discover useful tips to initiate improvement work efficiently. This practical handbook is based on the authors' improvement work in a range of companies since the mid-nineties. Process Improvement in Practice - A Handbook for IT Companies is designed for a professional audience, composed of researchers and practitioners in industry. This book is also suitable for graduate-level students in software process improvement and software engineering.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Introduction	1	(6)
What is the purpose of this handbook?	1	(1)
What is a process	2	(1)
What is process improvement	3	(1)
How can process improvement help software organizations	3	(1)
How can we get going with process improvement	4	(1)
What is special about software development	4	(1)
Basic Principles	5	(1)
Overview of this handbook	5	(2)
Knowledge and Learning	7	(14)
Why learning?	7	(1)
What does learning mean?	7	(3)
Physical arrangements	10	(1)
Organizational and cultural arrangements	11	(3)
Arrangements for technical infrastructure	14	(1)
Arrangements in the projects	15	(4)
How do we stimulate creativity	19	(2)
Improvement Process	21	(16)
Organizing process improvement	21	(1)
A model for project-based experiential learning	22	(1)
Initiating -- learning before doing	23	(4)
Executing -- learning whilst doing	27	(4)
Closing -- learning after doing	31	(6)
Measurement and Feedback	37	(18)
Process for measurement and feedback	38	(2)
Planning to use data	40	(3)
Data collection	43	(4)
Data analysis	47	(4)
Feedback	51	(3)
Follow-up	54	(1)
Process Assessment	55	(10)
Why perform an assessment?	55	(1)
Basic principles	56	(1)
Gap analysis	57	(3)
A participative approach to process assessment	60	(5)
Process Guides	65	(12)
What is a process guide?	65	(2)
Why is a process guide useful?	67	(1)
What should we put into a process guide?	68	(1)
How to develop a process guide	68	(4)
How to adapt a process guide	72	(2)
How to maintain a process guide	74	(3)
Techniques	77	(30)
Technique 1: Feedback meeting	77	(4)
Technique 2: GQM abstraction sheet	81	(4)
Technique 3: Mind map	85	(2)
Technique 4: Brainstorming	87	(4)
Technique 5: KJ/ Affinity diagram	91	(4)
Technique 6: Prioritizing	95	(2)
Technique 7: Time-line	97	(4)
Technique 8: Action list	101	(2)
Technique 9: Root cause analysis	103	(4)
Bibliography	107	(2)
About the Authors	109	(2)
Index	111