Greetings, adamwest!
I have tried to rephrase the information I found into a simpler, more
abbreviated format, while retaining the pertinent details that you
requested. Here goes:
What Are Software Processes?
"Software processes span the development, use, and evolution of
software systems. These processes consist of a partial ordering of
tasks, decomposable into sub-tasks and actions, that collectively
describe how software systems come to be the way they are. People with
various skills and resources perform these processes using a variety
of automated, semi-automated, or manual tools and techniques."
http://www.usc.edu/dept/ATRIUM/Papers/New/CCA-Draft.html
"What is SPICE?
SPICE is a major international initiative to support the development
of an International Standard for Software Process Assessment. The
project has three principal goals:
- to develop a working draft for a standard for software process
assessment.
- to conduct industry trials of the emerging standard.
- to promote the technology transfer of software process assessment
into the software industry world-wide."
http://www.sqi.gu.edu.au/spice/what.html
In other words, SPICE is a cooperative effort by a number of
institutions who have a serious, vested interest in the development of
an International Standard for Software Process Assessment.
Why Develop A Standard?
Such a Standard, if "buy-in" for it can be acquired from a significant
number of institutions, corporations, and governing bodies, would help
to create an organized, well-directed approach to Software Process
Assessment.
This would benefit all the entities involved in the development of the
Standard, as well as companies who later use the methodologies derived
from it, by creating a universal “measuring stick” for evaluation of
any and all Software Processes, allowing apples to be compared to
apples, rather than to oranges.
About the SPICE Standard
"The SPICE Suite of documents provides a framework for the assessment
of software processes. This framework can be used by organizations
involved in planning, managing, monitoring, controlling, and improving
the acquisition, supply, development, operation, evolution and support
of software.
The framework for process assessment:
- facilitates self-assessment;
- takes account of the context of the process being assessed;
- produces a process rating profile rather than a pass/fail result;
- addresses the adequacy of practices relative to the process purpose;
- is appropriate across all application domains and sizes of
organization."
http://www.sqi.gu.edu.au/spice/suite/intro.html
Gaining approval from the International Standards Organization (ISO)
for any set of standards is a long, involved process, usually taking
years to complete. ISO’s Working Group 10 is responsible for the
development of an International Standard for Software Process
Assessment. The first draft of the 9-part "SPICE Documents" was
published in June 1995 and submitted to Working Group 10 for approval
by ballot. SPICE is now in its "Trial" period, where participating
organizations "try out" the Standard to gauge its completeness and
effectiveness.
"About the Trials:
The SPICE Project has been mandated by JTC1/SC7 (the software
engineering standardisation committee of ISO/IEC) to:
- assist the standardisation project in its preparatory stage to
develop initial working drafts;
- undertake empirical trials of ISO/IEC 15504 as it evolves through
the various stages towards an International Standard;
- create market awareness and take-up of the evolving standard."
In addition to being able to influence the emerging International
Standard, and getting early access to the Trial results, participants
in the SPICE trials receive the additional benefits of outside support
in conducting their assessments, and a customized benchmark report of
their own results which "will provide their relative process
capability compared with the capability of similar organisations
(e.g., the same industrial sector, and the same region). This would
allow the gauging of the competitiveness of an organisation’s software
processes."
http://www.sqi.gu.edu.au/spice/trials/intro.html
How a Standard Software Process Assessment Methodology benefits the
Software Industry:
"- software suppliers will submit to just one process assessment
scheme presently numerous schemes are used);
- software development organisations will have a tool to initiate and
sustain a continuous process improvement;
- programme managers will have a means to ensure that their software
development is aligned with, and supports, the business needs of the
organisation."
How a Standard Software Process Assessment Methodology benefits
Purchasers Of Software:
"Purchasers will be able to determine the capability of software
suppliers and assess the risk involved in selecting one supplier over
another."
http://www.sqi.gu.edu.au/spice/trials/intro.html
So, in a nutshell, SPICE (Software Process Improvement and Capability
dEtermination) is a proposed Standard for evaluating Software
Processes, which will enable software vendors and businesses that
develop their own software to improve their software development
processes, thereby improving the quality and effectiveness of that
software. In addition, it will provide a method whereby prospective
purchasers of software packages can evaluate the various available
packages against each other to determine which will best meet their
needs.
A Case Study you may find helpful:
"Comparative Case Analysis for Understanding Software Processes" by
Walt Scacchi, USC ATRIUM Laboratory
"This paper provides an exploration of the analysis and use of
comparative case studies as an approach to understanding software
processes in complex organizational settings."
http://www.usc.edu/dept/ATRIUM/Papers/New/CCA-Draft.html
Search Strategy
What are Software Processes?
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=What+are+Software+Processes%3F&btnG=Google+Search
Software Process Improvement and Capability dEtermination
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=Software+Process+Improvement+and+Capability+dEtermination&btnG=Google+Search
Before Rating my Answer, if you have questions or need additional
information, please post a Request for Clarification, and I will be
glad to see what I can do for you.
I hope this Answer provides you with exactly the information you
needed!
Regards,
aceresearcher |
