Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

An adventure in software process improvement

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Software Engineering Education (CSEE 1994)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 750))

Included in the following conference series:

Abstract

Software process improvement concepts, applied in an effort to increase productivity and quality in industry, are also needed in the academic environment. By teaching process improvement we can prepare students for the future and simultaneously improve our own understanding and teaching of the software engineering.

In this paper, the Software Engineering Institute's Capability Maturity Model and the ISO9000 standard are introduced. Our Software Engineering class is described, including two different team organizations which were tried. Technical and process job descriptions are given, together with our experience teaching team skills. The lessons learned are given in the conclusion.

Applying software process concepts gives students a metamodel to understand and help manage project complexity. Having explicit technical and process roles improves students' learning and, while difficult to quantify, seems to effect the quality of the end-products in a substantive way. Teaching and applying quality improvement ideas is a vital part of preparing students for modern software technology.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Crosby, P. B. Quality Is Free. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1979.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Dante's Defect Tracker Reference Manual. Inferno Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, CS378 Software Engineering Project, Fall 1992.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Deming, W. E. Out of the Crisis. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Center for Advanced Engineering Study, 1986.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Denning, P. J. “Educating a New Engineer”. Comm. ACM 35, 12 (Dec. 1992), 83–97.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Dion, R. “Elements of a Process-Improvement Program.” IEEE Software (July 1992), 83–85.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Florac, W. Software Quality Measurement: A Framework for Counting Problems and Defects. Tech. Rep. CMU/SEI-92-TR-22, Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, Sept. 1992.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Henry, J. and B. Blasewitz. “Process Definition: Theory and Reality.” IEEE Software (Nov. 1992).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Humphrey, W. S. Managing the Software Process. Reading, Mass.: Addison Wesley, 1989.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Humphrey, W., T. Snyder, and R. Willis. “Software Process Improvement at Hughes Aircraft.” IEEE Software (July 1991).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Software Engineering Standards. IEEE Press, 1987.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Quality Management and Quality Assurance Standards— Guidelines for Selection and Use. 1987. Available from Global Engineering Document, Irvine, Calif, and

    Google Scholar 

  12. Quality managment and quality assurance standards — Part 3; Guidelines for the application of ISO 9001 to the development, supply and maintenance of software. Available from: American Society for Quality Control, Customer Service Department, P.O. Box 3066, Milwalkee, Wisconsin 53201. 1-800-248-1946, Fax Order to: 1-414-272-1734.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Juran, J. M. Juran on Leadership for Quality. New York: The Free Press, 1989.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Mays, R., E. Jones, G. Holloway, and D. Studinski. “Experiences With Defect Prevention”. IBM Systems Journal 29, 1 (1988), 4–32.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Paulk, M. C., B. Curtis, M. B. Chrissis, and C. V. Weber. Capability Maturity Model for Software, version 1.1. Tech. Rep. CMU/SEI-93-TR-24, Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pa., Feb. 1993.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Peters, T. J. and R. H. Waterman, Jr. In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America's Best-Run Companies. Harper & Row, 1982.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Rakos, J. Software Project Managment for Small to Medium Sized Projects. Prentice-Hall, 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Measuring Software Quality Using a Problem Management System, Draft for Review. Quality Subgroup of the Software Metrics Definition Working Group, August, 1991.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Scholtes, P. The Team Handbook: How to Use Teams to Improve Quality. Madison, Wis. Joiner Associates, 1988.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Tomayko, J. E. Teaching a Project-Intensive Introduction to Software Engineering. Tech. Rep. CMU/SEI-87-TR-20,ADA200603, Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pa., 1987.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Weber, C. V., M. C. Paulk, C. J. Wise, and J. V. Withey. Key Practices of the Capability Maturity Model. Tech. Rep. CMU/SEI-91-TR-25, ADA240604, Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pa., Aug. 1991.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Werth, L. H. “Software Tools at the University: Why, What and How”. Software Engineering Education, Ford, G., ed. New York: Springer-Verlag, Apr. 1988,169–186.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Werth, L. H. “Preparing Students for Programming-in-the-Large”. Proc. 20th SIGCSE Tech. Symp. Computer Science Education, Barrett, R. A. and M. J. Mansfield, eds. New York: ACM, Feb. 1989, 37–41.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Werth, L. H. “Object Oriented Programming and Design Class Projects.” J. Object Oriented Programming (Nov./Dec. 1990).

    Google Scholar 

  25. Werth, L. H. “Industrial-Strength CASE Tools for Software Engineering Classes”. Software Engineering Education, Tomayko, J. E., ed. New York: Springer-Verlag, Oct. 1991, 245–256.

    Google Scholar 

  26. Werth, L. H. Lectures in Software Process. Tech. Rep. CMU/SEI/EM8 Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pa., Feb. 1993.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, 78712, Austin, TX

    Laurie Honour Werth

Authors
  1. Laurie Honour Werth
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Jorge L. Díaz-Herrera

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1993 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

Werth, L.H. (1993). An adventure in software process improvement. In: Díaz-Herrera, J.L. (eds) Software Engineering Education. CSEE 1994. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 750. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0017614

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0017614

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-57461-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-48191-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation