Course Objective:

SSC SD senior management is committed to software process improvement (SPI) and increasing process maturity on software projects. To accomplish this, pilot projects in each department are being identified to initiate SPI activities. The purpose of SPIRIT is to prepare experienced software practitioners to implement SPI on their projects. SPIRIT is a how-to seminar providing a solid and well-defined process for implementing SPI, and the initial skills, tools, and techniques needed. It is designed as the primary training for "SPI Agents" within SSC SD departments and projects.

Course Description:

SPIRIT was developed by the Software Engineering Process Office (SEPO) to train newly designated SPI agents in the abilities they need to lead a SPI effort. The objective is to quickly bring them up to speed by giving them the instructions and materials to successfully facilitate the planning and implementation of a process improvement program, and an opportunity to share lessons learned with others in the organization. The materials include the process to follow and aids for initiating SPI, organizational policies and processes available, identification of other training they should attend, the support available from SEPO, the Capability Maturity Model (CMM), appraisal techniques, and software engineering standards.

Course Format:

SPIRIT is conducted in one entire day or in two half days. It is conducted on-site at SSC SD on an as-needed basis.

Who Should Attend:

SPIRIT is applicable to any level or orientation of attendee involved in software process improvement. However, it would be most useful to those in the first few years of SPI on their projects. There are no prerequisites except knowledge of the software life cycle and a desire to start SPI within their own groups.

To provide attendees with the ability to

• Describe why SPI is a good business decision for SSC SD

• Define the SSC SD infrastructure and approach to SPI

• Build and document a process
• Describe the structure of the CMM and its evolution
• Perform an appraisal on a software project
• Develop SPI infrastructure and plans for an SSC SD organization
• Determine measurement needs and implement tracking and reporting systems
  

SPI Agents should develop these additional abilities by attending the courses indicated (none is a prerequisite to SPIRIT):

• Identify the key phases and processes of the software life cycle (Software Project Management course)
• Understand the goals and common features of the CMM Key Process Areas (CMM and KPA courses)
• Participate in a Software Capability Evaluation (CMM-Based Appraisal course)
• Initiate change management (Accelerating Change)

Course Contents:

This section covers course objectives, agenda, student introductions, and setting of expectations. Remaining sections focus on the abilities needed by a SPI Agent.

For any software project to choose to implement SPI, SPI must make good business sense. This section gives the attendees some return on investment data, references to success stories, and a business case for why project resources should be expended on SPI. Senior managers must believe SPI is critical to their organization’s success, and must establish an environment in which SPI is expected and achievable.

The process is the key structure to SPI. The definition and components of a process will be addressed, together with example software engineering and management processes.

The CMM was developed by the Software Engineering Institute and is the model chosen by SSC SD. This section will address the structure, format, and content of the CMM.

SSC SD has identified specific steps it will follow on its approach to SPI. The Center’s Software Engineering Goals and the Software Engineering Process Policy set the stage for software process improvement within the organization and all Departments. SPI Agents must be chosen, SPI Plans developed and tracked, pilot project selected, and assessments conducted on the pilots. Project SPI plans must be developed so that SPI is managed in the same way as any project, i.e., planning and tracking, risk identification and control, training, requirements determination, etc. In this section, that process - for initiating and managing a SPI effort - is discussed. The Process Asset Libraries, training, and measurement requirements are also addressed. Once Level 3 processes have been successfully implemented on pilot projects, they are migrated to other software projects. The details of each step are covered in this section.

This section describes the resources and support available from SEPO, such as process tailoring assistance, training, technical information exchange, external software community communications, and appraisals. SEPO’s functions, responsibilities, and services provided will also be discussed.

If you are interested in this course, please contact SEPO: