Software Process Improvement Laboratory

Unless you are measuring you are just practising! You cannot measure without a benchmark!

Being able to measure is the foundation for improvement. Lord Kelvin of electrical engineering fame is reputed to have said ''Unless you can measure a phenomenon and express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind ".  Measures that have value must be based on stable processes arising from agreed frameworks of good software engineering practice. This short course is designed to enable attendees to:

• Learn about the key concepts behind the major software engineering process management and product evaluation standards and approaches.
• Understand how these standards can be applied most effectively when you set out to improve parts of your enterprise.

Objectives

This course :

• Reviews the framework for software engineering process and product quality standards
• Identifies the role and contribution of each standard or group of standards in supporting an enterprise process improvement initiative.

Benefits

After attending this course you will be able to:

• Identify those standards that are most appropriate to addressing the business need.
• Be equipped to advise key stakeholders on the most appropriate standard (or family of standards) to deploy for process improvement or as a basis defining contractual obligations.

Course format

A presentation format is used.

Course contact time

The course duration is 24 hours. This course is typically offered as a full three-day programme.

Who should attend?

• Executives and managers responsible for software product development and services who are seeking to optimise their business processes.
• Project managers and process owners tasked to deploy standards to achieve business goals.

Pre-requisites to attending

None.

Course topics

• The standards players, who they are, and what role they play (I.e. ISO, IEC, IEEE, JTC1, US-DOD, NATO, Nuclear, Avionics).
• Understanding the formal standards development process.
• The standards roadmap - grasping the big picture.
• ISO Standards: System and software lifecycle.
• ISO Standards: Measurement and assessment.
• ISO Standards: Product quality and evaluation
• ISO Standards: Lifecycle support standards
• ISO Standards: Software risk management
• Sector standards: Military Standards, Nuclear, Avionics
• Professional: IEEE in relation to ISO and Military standards.
• Standards generated by Industry for the Military: SEI CMM in relation to ISO standards.
• Implementing standards in an enterprise - what are the drivers?
• Moving to the cutting edge - getting involved in SE standards review and development.