Integration of Software Process Assessment and Modeling

Several approaches, such as modeling, assessment, measurement, and technology adoption, are available to improve a software process. The approaches supplement each other, but one usually dominates in process improvement. Process assessment is a norm-based approach, which is often used for evolutionary process improvement. The starting point for process improvement actions is the gap between the current state of an organization and the desired future state. These two states can be characterized using a norm for good software practices like CMMI or SPICE. Process modeling comprises analysis of activities, artifacts, roles and tools. Process assessment studies the capability of the process based on process attributes defined in the assessment model. In this paper we illustrate, how a method for descriptive process modeling can be integrated with an approach of assessment based software process improvement. The outcome is based on the observations of existing solutions and proposals for their improvement. The final result of our on-going study is a unified method for process improvement. The application of the method results in detailed process profiles with process improvement opportunities, and a descriptive process model of the assessed software unit. The main benefit of the approach is that the improvements are clearly expressed in the actual process model to make the process changes more manageable.