Systematic Review of Statistical Process Control: An Experience Report

Background: A systematic review is a rigorous method for assessing and aggregating research results. Unlike an ordinary literature review consisting of an annotated bibliography, a systematic review analyzes existing literature with reference to specific research questions on a topic of interest. Objective: Statistical Process Control (SPC) is a well established technique in manufacturing contexts that only recently has been used in software production. Software production is unlike manufacturing because it is human rather than machine-intensive, and results in the production of single one-off items. It is therefore pertinent to assess how successful SPC is in the context of software production. These considerations have therefore motivated us to define and carry out a systematic review to assess whether SPC is being used effectively and correctly by software practitioners. Method: A protocol has been defined, according to the systematic literature review process, it was revised and refined by the authors. At the current time, the review is being carried out. Results: We report our considerations and preliminary results in defining and carrying out a systematic review on SPC, and how graduate students have been included in the review process of a first set of the papers. Conclusions: Our first results and impressions are positive. Also, involving graduate students has been a successful experience.