Assessing the Process of an Eastern European Software SME Using Systemic Analysis, GQM, and Reliability Growth Models - A Case Study

This paper reports on the experience of the authors in quantitatively assessing the development process of an Eastern European software SME (Small or Medium Size Enterprise). The company produces a very successful workflow and documentation tool, features about 30 full time developers and has a customer base of about 40 major organizations. It has hired the authors as consultants to address quality and productivity issues raised by the upper management and customers. The adopted approach is based on systemic analysis, and starts with a comprehensive GQM session with the top managers of the company, to fully define the scope of work, and progresses analysing the documentation, interviewing the manager and the lead developers, and quantitatively analysing the issue tracking system in place. Specific attention is placed in identifying "schismogenesis", situations that may lead to unresolvable conflicts. The approach has been proven successful in providing a result in short forecasted timeframe, and systemic analysis has been effective in spotting the most critical situations present in the company. The result has been a set of prioritized recommendations, centered first in eliminating the schismogenetic situations and then ranging from adopting a more quantitative process control, to streamline the activities, to organize a line of product.