Formalising the software evaluation process

Software process evaluation is an essential activity for improving software development in an organisation. Actually there is a need for a formalised method of evaluation that encompasses all the factors that affect software production. If a software process evaluation is to faithfully reflect the current status of an organisation, it must also consider the assessment of other factors. A formalised method of evaluation is presented that jointly assesses the three essential factors in software production: processes, technology and human resources. The aim behind this is to provide a solution to the main shortcomings of current software process evaluation methods: partiality of the evaluated factors and non-formalisation of the evaluation processes. Experimentation in various organisations has proven the adequacy of the proposed method for obtaining results that accurately portray the current status of the organisation's software process.