SPI agility: How to navigate improvement projects

Abstract

In this study, we argue that today's changing business environment calls for agile Software Process Improvement (SPI) practices. The study combines experiences from 18 SPI projects executed from 1998 to 2002 at Ericsson in Gothenburg with insights from SPI and agility theory. We suggest that agile SPI practices are both effective and flexible; they employ adaptive governance mechanisms at the corporate level; and they combine different tactics on the project level. We identify and compare two different tactics for SPI projects. Inspired by procedural thinking, the first tactic, the supertanker, employs process‐push and aims for efficient process development and diffusion. On the basis of adaptive thinking, the second tactic, the motorboat, facilitates practice‐pull and aims for adaptive process development and diffusion. We also discuss how agile SPI practices require understanding of the different types of waters in which the two tactics navigate effectively. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Software Process Improvement as organizational change: A metaphorical analysis of the literature

“…SPI projects must adapt accordingly if they are to maintain their relevance and support (Aaen et al, 2001;Pourkomeylian, 2001;Kautz et al, 2000). Such adaptive capability can be achieved by skillfully combining "supertanker" and "motorboat" tactics (Aaen et al, 2007).…”

“…Meanwhile, agile principles can have a positive impact on SPI initiatives when applied to the improvement process itself (Börjesson and Mathiassen, 2005). Agile SPI practices are flexible, and different tactics facilitate either adaptive or efficient process development and diffusion (Aaen et al, 2007). In pursuing these ideas further, an effort has been made to combine the CMM with the Personal Software Process (PSP) to minimize the number of process areas and to ensure a better fit with small and agile organizations (Saiedian and Carr, 1997).…”

“…Aaen et al (2001),Aaen et al (2007),Börjesson and Mathiassen (2005),Cattaneo et al (2001),Coleman and O'Connor (2007),Dybå (2003),Green et al (2005), Gresse vonWangenheim et al (2006),Guerrero and Eterovic (2004),Iversen et al (2004),Kautz (1998Kautz ( , 1999,Kautz et al (2000),Oktaba et al (2007),Pourkomeylian (2001),Staples et al (2007),Ward et al (2001),Wiegers (1999), andWohlwend and Rosenbaum (1994) BrainKnowledge creation, management, and dissemination in SPI Organizational and individual knowledge as success factors in SPI Assessments and measurements as vehicles for collecting and distributing knowledge in SPI Baskerville and Pries-Heje (1999),Börjesson and Mathiassen (2004),Cater-Steel et al (2006), Conradi and Dybå…”

Understanding the Role of Knowledge Management in Software Development

“…According to Sirvio et al (2002) software organization needs to improve their practices in order to cope with market changes. These situations have lead to considerable interest in how organization can effectively respond to changing environment or agile environment (Aaen et al, 2007;Sirvio et al, 2002). Therefore KM is seen as critical to the SPI process.…”

Knowledge Engineering for Software Development Life Cycles

“…According to (Sirvio et al, 2002) software organization needs to improve their practices in order to cope with market changes. These situations have lead to considerable interest in how organization can effectively respond to changing environment or agile environment (Aaen et al, 2007) (Sirvio et al, 2002). Therefore KM is seen as critical to SPI process.…”