Oxford Software Engineering Services Consultancy The British Computer

Oxford Software Engineering Services & Consultancy The British Computer Society Software Process Improvement Network SPIN(UK) 07 October, 1999 Slide 1

Oxford Software Engineering Services & Consultancy Contents: • SPIN(UK) Why, when, what, how. . . • 10 Years of SPI Lessons learnt. . . the changing business environment • Addressing the changing business environment • The future of the SPINs A UK perspective. . . 07 October, 1999 Slide 2

Oxford Software Engineering Services & Consultancy SPIN(UK) Why, when, what, how. . . 07 October, 1999 Slide 3

Oxford Software Engineering Services & Consultancy SPIN (UK) - Why, when: • 1988 - Corporate Software Engineering Initiative – Happy doing our own thing – Needed to know what other companies were doing • October 1991 - US SPIN • 1992 - UK SPIN 07 October, 1999 Slide 4

Oxford Software Engineering Services & Consultancy SPIN(UK) - What: • Specialist Group of the British Computer Society – One of forty groups • Practitioners’ Forum – For Industry – From Industry • Not aligned to any particular model – CMM, SPICE ISO 9000, Bootstrap. . . 07 October, 1999 Slide 5

Oxford Software Engineering Services & Consultancy SPIN (UK) - Objectives: • To be a leadership forum for the free and open exchange of software process improvement experiences and practical ideas. • To promote the practical and beneficial use of software process improvement in achieving higher levels of business performance. • To sustain commitment and enhance skills through an active programme of networking, publications, recognition of excellence and mutual support. 07 October, 1999 Slide 6

Oxford Software Engineering Services & Consultancy SPIN (UK) - How: • Our own Style – NOT the style of US SPINs • Practitioners’ Forum – – – Practical, Pragmatic and Relevant Case Studies Interactive - participation from the attendees Friendly Not a “Vendors’ Bash” • Challenge Conventional Wisdom – Someone has to! 07 October, 1999 Slide 7

Oxford Software Engineering Services & Consultancy SPIN (UK) - Past Sessions: • Various Case Studies • – Industry Experiences • Topics. . . – – – SPI Models Metrics and Measurement Supplier Management Winning Hearts and Minds Group Dynamics 07 October, 1999 Academic Presentations – Current Research Work • . . . Topics – – – Why SPI Initiatives Often Fail Getting Started with SPI Keeping the Momentum Going Rapid Process Improvement Monitoring & Control Slide 8

Oxford Software Engineering Services & Consultancy 10 Years of SPI Lessons learnt. . . the changing business environment 07 October, 1999 Slide 9

Oxford Software Engineering Services & Consultancy The Business Environment. . . • Dynamic (unpredictable) – It’s very different to what it was five years ago • You will encounter – – – – economic fluctuations currency fluctuations mergers re-organisations changes in strategy new management ‘initiatives’ • Look-ahead more than 18~24 months is of limited value 07 October, 1999 Slide 10

Oxford Software Engineering Services & Consultancy … The Business Environment • Software development processes within the business: – are increasingly seen as just one of many business processes – are not clearly distinguished from other business processes – have the same expectations placed on them as on other processes • Software processes should be: – robust enough to cope with: • merger / acquisition • changed business / new business • re-structuring – available as required – managed as assets • they are often lost 07 October, 1999 Slide 11

Oxford Software Engineering Services & Consultancy 10 years of SPI. . . • Lessons learnt … – ongoing long term commitment* to develop process understanding and capability is important –. . . but long term plans are of little use - outmanoeuvred by events – SPI often takes far too long to deliver real benefits to developers or managers. . . benefits are frequently never explicitly identified – tends to focus on model requirements rather than solving real problems – predicting the effects of change is difficult – large scale SPI is difficult to manage and usually inefficient and expensive – practitioner buy-in comes from addressing their needs – many benefits arise from small changes made rapidly – some software engineering techniques are fundamental * senior management scrutiny and feedback - but not big budgets 07 October, 1999 Slide 12

Oxford Software Engineering Services & Consultancy … 10 years of SPI • It is most effective to: – think strategically*, but act tactically • act locally • deliver many small simple improvements • evaluate actual results • discard cheap fast failures, build on successes - and learn from failures • We must focus on results and not activity * Deming’s ‘constancy of purpose’ 07 October, 1999 Slide 13

Oxford Software Engineering Services & Consultancy Addressing the changing business environment 07 October, 1999 Slide 14

Oxford Software Engineering Services & Consultancy Addressing the changing business environment: • Our response to this is to develop techniques and tools that enable Rapid Process Improvement. . . 07 October, 1999 Slide 15

Oxford Software Engineering Services & Consultancy Rapid Process Improvement. . . • Characteristics - are required and consciously designed in – – – clearly focussed on solving real problems desired results stated explicitly and measurably results driven - not activity driven, then act on data speed (scaled to be manageable and time boxed) perhaps guided by model - but not model driven highly visible structured - (how, how good, when …) local ownership - effective resource models and motivation local accountability opportunistic uses tools 07 October, 1999 Slide 16

Oxford Software Engineering Services & Consultancy … Rapid Process Improvement • Benefits – speed • 80 / 20 - know which is the 20 • Time boxed – visibility • results driven - there are results • learn - from successes and affordable (therefore admissible) mistakes • success is the best motivator – low cost • rapid ROI • short BET • no generic training – NO LEAD TIME. . . 07 October, 1999 Slide 17

Oxford Software Engineering Services & Consultancy Tools and Techniques: • Lots of anecdotal SPI reporting and evidence but few tools • We have worked to identify and develop tools for RPI: • Three classes … – Visibility – Frameworks – Construction 07 October, 1999 Slide 18

Oxford Software Engineering Services & Consultancy Visibility: (shows what is actually happening) • Focused Quality Assurance • Measurement • Assessment • ‘Post Implementation Reviews’ • Evidence & Records 07 October, 1999 Slide 19

Oxford Software Engineering Services & Consultancy Frameworks: (to provide structure and help communications*) • Tactical Change Management (TCM) • PIRL • Process Improvement Templates • Process Infrastructure • Process Architecture - shared mental model and stability • others… (* which is critical in changing expectations and behaviour) 07 October, 1999 Slide 20

Oxford Software Engineering Services & Consultancy Synthesis and Construction. . . • Process Definition (Proc. Def) • Prefabricated Process Components • Process Workshops 07 October, 1999 Slide 21

Oxford Software Engineering Services & Consultancy Techniques: • Work Upstream • Resource Models • Software Fundamentals 07 October, 1999 Slide 22

Oxford Software Engineering Services & Consultancy The future of the SPINs A UK perspective. . . 07 October, 1999 Slide 23

Oxford Software Engineering Services & Consultancy Future of the SPINs: • Academics & vendors have the conferences • The practitioners need their forum – The SPINs provide this • Practitioners expect to find a SPIN • Practitioners have an expectation of what a SPIN is – But it is hard to keep going without compromising our values • The SPINs must remain national – Countries have their own cultures and values • We should work for greater collaboration in Europe – But how? – We’ve tried before. . . let’s try again 07 October, 1999 Slide 24

Oxford Software Engineering Services & Consultancy SPIN (UK) - Contact Details: IAN SEWARD OXFORD SOFTWARE ENGINEERING LTD. Tel. +44 (0)1993 700878 seward@osel. co. uk www. bcsspin. org 07 October, 1999 Slide 25