Applying Spc to the Personal Software Process

In recent years, a growing number of software organizations have begun to focus on applying the concepts of statistical process control (SPC) to the software process, usually as part of an improvement program based on the Software CMM. There are a number of technical challenges to the successful use of these statistical techniques, primarily centered on the issues associated with high variation between individual software professionals. A growing number of organizations, however, are demonstrating that SPC techniques can be applied to the software process, even if questions remain on the specific processes, measures, and statistical techniques that will provide significant business value. This paper illustrates the application of the XmR control chart to the Personal Software Process. Introduction During the last decade, the focus of software process improvement has been on fundamental project management and organizational learning issues. In recent years, more mature organizations have begun to focus on applying the concepts of statistical process control (SPC) to the software process, specifically control charts, along with other statistical and process modeling techniques. There are a number of technical challenges to the successful use of these statistical techniques, primarily centered on the issues associated with high variation between individual software professionals. Studies of the differences between software professionals have ranged from 10:1 up to 100:1, with 20:1 differences being fairly common (Curtis, 1990; DeMarco, 1999). For this and other reasons, some software professionals have questioned the validity and business value of SPC in the software arena (Ould, 1996; Carleton, 1999; Kan, 1995).  Capability Maturity Model and CMM are registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. SM Personal Software Process and PSP are service marks of Carnegie Mellon University. The Software Engineering Institute is a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense.