Q-MOPP: qualitative evaluation of maintenance organizations, processes and products

SUMMARY In this paper, we propose a qualitative, inductive method for characterizing and evaluating software maintenance processes, thereby identifying their specific problems and needs. This method encompasses a set of procedures which attempt to determine causal links between maintenance problems and flaws in the maintenance organization and process. This allows for a set of concrete steps to be taken for maintenance quality and productivity improvement, based on a tangible understanding of the relevant maintenance issues in a particular maintenance environment. Moreover, this understanding provides a solid basis on which to define relevant software maintenance models and measures. A case study of the application of this method, called Q-MOPP, is presented to further illustrate its feasibility and benefits. 3 1. INTRODUCTION In recent years the definition and improvement of software processes has played an increasingly prominent role in software development and maintenance. The improvement of software maintenance processes is of particular interest because of the length of time spent in maintenance during the software life cycle, and the ensuing lifetime costs, as well as the large number of legacy systems still being maintained. Maintenance improvement, in a given organization, requires building an understanding of what is actually happening in its maintenance projects (the term " project " here refers to the continuous maintenance of a given system), in conjunction with building a measurement program to monitor and assess improvement initiatives. Building this understanding is especially important in improving existing maintenance processes. Accumulated project knowledge and expertise might be lost if a prescriptive software maintenance process is put in place without regard to existing processes and practices. In addition, a prescriptive process that is not adequately tailored for its environment may encounter organizational and personnel roadblocks. If the prescriptive process is seen as a distillation of " best practices, " then the characterization and evaluation of current processes is a necessary first step. Such a descriptive model baseline is also necessary to evolve an effective process (Curtis et al., 1992). Establishing a measurement program integrated into the maintenance process is likely to help any organization achieve an in-depth understanding of its specific maintenance issues and thereby lay a solid foundation for maintenance process improvement (Rombach et al., 1992). However, defining and enacting a measurement program takes time. A short term, quickly operational substitute is needed in order to obtain a first quick insight, at low cost, into the issues to be addressed. …