Description:
In today's competitive environment, no organization can afford NOT to have a dedicated Software Process Improvement (SPI) program.  Poorly developed software processes lead to decreased productivity, increased risk, cost and schedule overruns, more bugs, and, ultimately, to dissatisfied customers

This is a presentation of the fundamentals of a software process improvement (SPI) program.  It begins by discussing how to get senior management support and commitment, the various roles members of the organization must play, and the activities which must be planned and budgeted.  The objectives, the deliverables, the phases, the activities, and the tracking metrics are all discussed.

Who Should Attend:
Anyone concerned about the quality of their Software Development process should attend; this includes:

• Senior Management

• Project Managers

• Development Managers

• Quality Assurance Personnel

• Business Client Managers

What You Will Learn:
Students will:

• Understand the criticality of gaining Senior Management's support and commitment
• See that targeted training is crucial to the success of any SPI program
• Gain a management view of SPI concepts, strategies, and techniques
• Discuss the concept and usefulness of mini-assessments and a way to get started
• See the importance of the role of the Software Engineering Process Group (SEPG) and the Management Steering Group (MSG)
• Be Introduced to process metrics and their use

Course Outline:

 Introduction

• Workshop Agenda & Handouts

• Objectives

Software Process Improvement (SPI)

• Why do SPI?

• The Key Premise

• Process Improvement Principles

• SPI Background

• The CMM/CMMI

Senior Management Support & Commitment

• The Need for Senior Management Support

• How to get Senior Management Support

• The Management Steering Group

The Software Engineering Process Group (SEPG)

• The Role of the SEPG

• Organizing the SEPG

• Training the SEPG

• Making the SEPG Effective

Assessing the Organization's Processes

• Assessing the Organization's Processes

• CMMI-Based Appraisals

• Mini Appraisals

• Overall Plan for Appraisals

Prioritization, Planning, Approach and Schedule

• Prioritization

• Process Improvement Plan

• SPI Strategy

• Education

• Motivation

• Kickoff Meetings

 Pilot Projects, Follow-up, Mentoring and Metrics

• Pilot Projects

• Rollout and Deployment

• Tailoring of the OSSP

• Follow-up

• Mentoring

• Metrics

• Reporting  

Prerequisites: Familiarity with software development projects.