Process modelling to support software development under the capability maturity model

• Main Author: Yang, Kann-Jang
• Published: University of Edinburgh 1998
• Subjects: 005.3
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.664098

Before the technique of software components is mature, we believe that the software process is another essential topic for "manufacturing software products". The steps in the software process must be defined very precisely and carefully. Process-centred Software Engineering Environments (PSEEs) are viewed by many as a way to assist developers in the execution of their work. Research has produced a variety of PSEEs providing support for management and technical activities. However, no consensus has formed on the issue of which process is the most appropriate one. The Capability Maturity Model for Software (CMM), developed by Software Engineering Institute in Carnegie Mellon University, provides software organisations with guidance on how to gain control of their processes for developing and maintaining software. For the last few years, some organisations have successfully improved their software process maturity by using the CMM. This research builds a PSEE, called SPI (Software Process Improvement) PASTA, that models the CMM by using the process notation PASTA (Process and Artefact State Machine Transition Abstraction). There are two reasons for doing this research. Firstly, we believe that a PSEE must comply with a framework of continuous process improvement, such as the CMM, in order to get to the right destination. Secondly, in any context in which the CMM is applied, a reasonable interpretation of the practices should be used. The CMM must be appropriately interpreted for different size projects and software organisations. The SPI PASTA provides a framework for continuous improvement of the process. This framework complies with a supporting knowledge transfer and implementation services architecture that makes it possible to achieve higher software process maturity.