SPICE for SPACE trials, risk analysis, and process improvement

Abstract

As part of a programme for software process improvement sponsored by the European Space Agency (ESA), an ISO 15504 (1998) conformant method for software process assessment has been developed. [Work supported under ESTEC Contract Number 10 662/93/NL/NB CCN5.] Called SPICE for SPACE, or S4S (Völcker and Cass 2002, Cass et al. 2000), the method includes an assessment model based on the ISO/IEC TR 15504 exemplar model with space software practices incorporated.To promote SPICE for SPACE, ESA has sponsored a series of trial assessments using the S4S method. Since February 2000, eight space software suppliers have been assessed in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, and Sweden.The first part of this paper describes the trial assessment programme to date, summarising the assessments that have taken place, the assessment results, the improvement efforts initiated in the host organisations, and the feedback gathered to improve the S4S method.The second part of this paper presents a new approach for software process improvement based on a risk analysis of assessment results. Developed within the same initiative, this method sets the basis for integrating process‐oriented risk analysis into the S4S method, where, along with the process and capability dimensions, risk can be considered as a new third dimension. The outcomes of the risk analysis lead to the selection and prioritisation of pre‐defined generic improvement actions. Alternatively, the risk analysis presented here can be applied in the context of supplier evaluation or risk estimation for investors in software organisations. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Evolution of the TIPA Framework: Towards the Automation of the Assessment Process in a Design Science Research Project

“…S4S was developed in the year 2000 and supported the Space industry in Europe for enabling the European Space Industry to select suppliers mastering their processes up to a certain targeted capability level. The S4S Process Model was based on the ISO/IEC 15504-5 Exemplar process assessment model for software lifecycle processes, with specific adaptations and processes dedicated to the Space industry needs [8].…”

“…In the software community, several initiatives have been developed over the years targeting various sectors: Automotive SPICE [7] for software development in the automotive industry, SPICE4SPACE [8] in the space industry, and MDevSPICE [9] in the medical device industry to quote a few ones which are based on the ISO/IEC 15504/33000 process assessment family of standards. From a general organizational perspective, the international Enterprise SPICE [10] initiative also gave birth to a process assessment model that has been published as a Publicly Available Specification (PAS) at ISO [11].…”

Creating Software Process Capability/Maturity Models

“…However, tailoring generic models isn't an easy process, 2 so several initiatives are underway to develop domain-specific models. Examples include Spice4Space 3 and AutomotiveSpice (www. automotivespice.com).…”

The Evolving Picture of Standardisation and Certification for Process Assessment

“…This is now reflected in the fact that there are now three separate Process Assessment Models within the scope of ISO/IEC 15504, addressing Software Engineering, Systems Engineering and IT Service Management (refer Table 1). In addition, within the broader community, process reference and assessment models have been developed addressing component based development [13]; automotive software [14]; software for space systems [15]; and medical device software [16]. A model of limited scope, aimed specifically at supporting process improvement programmes in small and medium enterprises, has also been developed [17].…”