Translation Karl E.Wiegers "Process Improvement That Works"
How to make the process improve
More and more software development organizations have begun to work hard to catch up with CMM, but most of them fall from this carriage. If you want to get zero rewards from your software process, please follow the following tips: 1. Spend a lot of money and time for process assessment, consulting services and various shape-colored CMM training courses; 2. Your software document template, make a big pile you want to get the process specification, then tell the program to start implementation immediately; 3. Instruction of your senior leaders: "Take the CMM to do!" "4. Your hard work collects a lot of data, and the programmers are still afternoon.
1 What is the improvement of the process improvement process can be summarized in one sentence: for project practice to improve the application, and the project practice should be changed for problems. This requires a trusted internal province and careful analysis for the success of past projects and inadequate places. The process improved the maximum motivation should be to hit a business goal of the company by improving software development and management. CMM can be used as a framework to guide your process improvement activities, but your goals are not simply satisfying the requirements of this model.
2 process improvement cycle
Figure 1 illustrates a complete SPI lifecycle. First, define your expectation to achieve the business goal; then, the problem of the current process is evaluated through the process, and the possible results of the implementation process improvement. With the in-depth understanding of the current situation of the Organization in the assessment, as well as the industry's best practices (CMM), you can set a reality to improve the goal. Next, select the right best practice that can solve the shortcomings of the current process, which can be a small subset of these best practices to close to the final implementation of the improvement goals. Determine one to two projects as a pilot of the new process, and it can be adjusted appropriately after successfulness and then fully promoted.
If the implementation of the new work mode is a plan, it will undoubtedly increase the possibility of success. The most difficult part is to actually start implementing an action plan. If this part of the work is ignored, then all efforts are equivalent to the white feet. The new process must work for some time. You should patiently observe whether the issues targeted by the improvement action have been resolved or symptomatic. The advantages of data is used to represent the benefits of process improvement, and it is always more convincing than subjective understandings.
If this improvement is successful, then continue this process improvement cycle, start to solve the next most urgent need. Remember, there is no end point, but a continuous journey.
3 Concentrates to those who make your headache
People in the daily way to make their headache and feel the troubles, which have prompted them to change the most powerful motives. I refer to it here is not an external and imaginary pain, but sometimes we feel the real "pain" that we feel in the current working method. Promise a better future, can be a way to encourage people to make changes. However, perhaps more efficient ways to point out that they are now in danger. Assessment can help reveal that some of the real reasons for you feel a headache can also reveal the potential huge risks of the project. The assessment of the form can be eaten, which can be a simple "Brain Storm" meeting, all of the group members participate in discussions, what happens to hind the productivity and quality; can also be a semi-formal invitation to participate in consultants involved Evaluation; it can also be a strict review of CMM standards. Of course, the formal review requires a certain amount of funds, but can refer to a unified standard for the industry to completely evaluate the company. According to my experience, the process assessment rarely shows special unexpected problems. Many development teams may have realized their problems, and the assessment made by the external consulting company is just a formal confirmation of this problem. Because, as an external third party, it can be placed outside the legacy issues, interpersonal disputes and many "special characters". Evaluate the problem of the embarrassment of you, and never provide a forum that deliberately disjudolic or comes from the past. Another layer of role to perform the assessment is a determination and commitment to the management of the process. Remember to improve the issues found and proposed in accordance with the issues found, otherwise it is a loss of money and energy not only invested in the assessment of enterprises, but also loses trust in the hearts of the team members. These people who spend their efforts in the assessment will believe that management is actually treated seriously for changes. Assessment is often confirmed to have a lot of improvement opportunities, and you can't eat all in a bite. "Focus" is the key to the attention of process improvement, because designing a better process and turn it into part of teamwork, often spending more than your assumption. I have encountered a 20-person development team, they are ambitious, attempting to implement improvements in seven areas, although the spirit can be passed, but the effect is small.
The goal of process improvement should be described in terms of the expected business results. For example, the goal should not be written as a "developing software to build version incremental procedures", and should write "to reduce the incorrect build version of the development phase to the system test phase". The activity of the SPI is not a purpose, but to achieve a way to achieve a target. Project managers should clearly understand the description, if the improvement is successful, then what changes will change in the behavior of development team members. From those destinations that are relatively high priorities, only two to three implementation improvements were selected at the beginning. If you have completed these goals soon, it is very good; then the next two goals will continue to improve from the evaluation report. Every time you don't want to get too big, don't try too much when you just start. Large-scale development organizations can be improved in several projects at the same time, but for each individual project, it should still be concentrated in a job.
4 Communication Extreme Important When people are required to change their familiar work, they usually feel unwilling, because people can always feel some kind of comfort for familiarity (even if efficient), people always feel uneasy for unknown. At the same time, some additional programmed workloads may be brought about by process improvements, people are also generally worried that this will affect the formation of creative and software. However, this fear is often unrealistic. Team members may have a set of frustration, because even they have done their best, the results of the assessment still show that the process has deficiencies. Customers will think that process improvement activities have added a lot of obstacles to them, so that their demand is not easy to reach programmers. To solve the above problems, communication should run through the whole process of process improvement. The cost should be clearly indicated by the current process: including the continuous delayed schedule, the function's lack of function, the regular timeout work, excess product support costs, customers' dissatisfaction, and low morale; should give Those skeptics are detailed for individuals, teams, companies and customers; some people may worry that the changes followed, fatigue, should emphasize the new process is well-thought-out, is a team member to create It is also a step-by-step, gradually promoting the application; it should be actively looking for supporters who are willing to try new processes and new document templates, provide feedback, laying the foundation for successful changes; it should be disclosed for each successful process change The people who contribute to convey a message: Constructive Participation Process Improvement Activities is the proceedings of the enterprise; the unsuccessful process change should be carefully analyzed, and it is not possible to adhere to the process of definition, and finally have to change the goal. A key operating principle of process improvement is, "Sprinkle and continuous application of pressure, all efforts to apply". The goals and status of the process should always be clear, emphasizing how the improved goals and businesses are unified. Time should be left at the group meeting to check the progress of the improvement activities, and the phase of the stage of report the success of the improvement work to get their support. We often see that the development team improved the work over the process of the process, but it is no longer mentioned throughout the year, until the end of the year begins to reach the target, the result is of course failed. For most team members, specific development work is always more important than investment process. Project managers should often remind and emphasize that process improvement work is important and valuable.
5 must have a process to improve the corresponding organization settings
Seriously treat the process improved enterprises, usually set up a three-story organizational architecture to ensure the success of the process improvement. Different companies may have to make adjustments according to the actual situation, and the general principle is not too complicated, enough to use it. The "sufficient" standard is that tangible improvement activities can be effectively identified, started, and implemented. The Management Decision Committee (MSC), the direction of the setting process improvement, priority, and the resources required to improve activities. It will make a "process person in charge" for each improvement area to ensure improved goals and the stability of the team. In general, members of the Management Decision Committee include the senior manager of the company (CEO), process improvement manager, process person in charge of various improvements, and some careful selection project managers and department managers. The level of management of the management is actively involved in the MSC, indicating the attitude of the organization's improvement work. The responsibilities of MSC include: (1) Setting Process Improved domain priority; (2) establish a charter for the working group in the field of specific improvements; (3) Monitoring improvements and status; (4) timely evaluation Impact; (5) management process improves risks and eliminating obstacles. Software Engineering Process Group (SEPG, pronunciation is "S-E-P-G", or "Sep-Gee", or "SEE-PEG"), coordinating various process improvement activities. The SEPG is equivalent to the representative of the management, responsible for the implementation of process improvement activities. A large-scale SEPG should have a full-time manager, some process improved full-time staff, some part-time participants in each year. The process improved full-time staff often comes from testing and warranty, but at least some process should improve full-time staff has rich development experience, project management experience is equally important. These qualifications ensure that SEPG members have more credible than simple lack of development practical experience. Sepg members should master a large number of process assessments, process improvement frameworks, processes, and how to affect the knowledge of changes. Change management of personnel and organizational factors is at least as important as the technical characteristics of the process improvement. Work-effective SEPG members should be organized, patient, and have a strong effective communication. They can adjust the communication mode based on the different individuals of the communication object, they are technically promoted promoters, can guide different participants on sensitive issues to achieve expected results, and these participants may initially objection to the process improvement or do not participate Process improvement activities. Sepg is a huge resource for all relevant personnel of process improvement activities. Their professional skills, interpersonal relationships can promote changes, because the participants of process improvement activities know where to seek help when encountering problems. The duties of the SEPG group usually include: (1) Strategic Plan and Tactical Plan for Developing Process Improvements; (2) Leadership or Participation Process Assessment; (3) Coordination to Promote Working Group; (4) Collecting the Best Practices and Works of Industry Best Practices (5) Accumulation of the process wealth, such as procedures, templates, checklists, working samples, and sharing within the organization; (6) New processes, procedures, and templates created by the review workgroup; (7) within the leadership Process improvements such as metrics and training. The SEPG team is not recommended to define all new procedures and then impose it to the project group. Such a typical way "partitions, 中 中 行" is always inevitable, and finally it will fail.
The recommended approach is to formulate procedures by forming a working group ("Process Action Group" or "Process Improvement Group" with procedure definition. A working group is temporarily composed of a group of project groups, usually 3-6 people, responsible for a specific improvement area. The deliverable results they work generally include the description of the current process of this field, the definition of the new process, and other process wealth. The efforts of the Working Group may only include the new process for implementing a project, perhaps the new process for defining the entire organization. The working unit of the working group should limit within three months of work. If the continuation is too long, then the work members will gradually lose enthusiasm, and they may have repeated. In each new improvement, the Working Group can re-establish or once again convene the original horses. Try to make all item members and project managers have the opportunity to participate in the working group at some point, of course, do not have to be completed, so that they have a feeling for the new process. The SEPG team member can establish a working group and responsible for the first meeting of the Working Group, however, the Project Development Team should have an autonomous management process to improve activities after the training phase of the SEPG team, and ensure the continuity of the working group. 6 Planning process improvement action
All work is project, and the software process improvement activities should also be operated in accordance with the way of the project, and they should be equally distributed to any development projects, providing the same resources and structures. An overall process improves the strategic plan, and the process of improving the tactical plan for each working group is very necessary. Some people don't want to plan, and see this is a waste of time. However, the write plan is not difficult, and difficult is to develop a plan, inquiry, listening, understanding, and coordination steps. In fact, the writing plan is just copying. Even for the simplest item, the plan can also keep the project in accordance with the expected route, and provide a reference that can be used to track progress. Process Improvement Strategic Plan gives guidance on the long-term process improvement activities of the organization, and organizations of organizations are usually the main author of the strategic plan, while Sepg members and other senior manager review and ratify the strategic plan. Each Working Group should prepare an action plan in accordance with standard templates, describe the goals to be achieved and how to implement the workgroup. Action Plan should be confirmed: (1) Verification process change to achieve measurement standards for expected purposes; (2) Change the application range within the organization; (3) Participant's role and their commitment time; (4) Working Group When will you report; (5) External dependencies or risks; (6) Target dates of all activities; (7) A list of action entries, specify the person in charge, deadline, destination, resources and delivery results for each action entry Wait. Each process Improves the action entrance to the tactical plan is limited to 9, and each should be specific, small-scale. In this way, it can help control the workload of the working group within 3 months, not for participants. Process Improvement Strategic Plan Template: 1. Destination 1.1. First letters 1.2. Reference Document 2. Overview 3. Executive Overview 4. Business Matters Started by SPI 4.1. Business Basic Principle 4.2. Guidelines 5. Process Improvement Goal 5.1. Target 5.2. Long-term target 6. Assumption, risk and obstacles 7. Process improvement-related organization 7.1. Organizational scope 7.2. Management Decision Committee 7.3. Software Process Improvement Manager 7.4. Software Engineering Process Group 7.5. Working Group 7.6. Process manager 7.7. SPI consultant 8. Success standard 9. Improvement agenda 9.1. SPI activity selection 9.2. Current SPI activity 9.3. Process improvement route
7 operations, winning thousands of miles
