Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
On the basis of the application of the
improvement framework
in the VSEs, we
have obtained some lessons which are described below:
•
When performing the activity of
Initiating the cycle
we had difficulty in aligning the
Improvement Proposal
with the strategic planning of the firm (see Fig. 2), because
there was no Strategic Plan. However, this fact should not be viewed as a problem
but rather as an improvement opportunity, since it highlights the company's 'raison
d'être', goals and its strategies for attaining them, i.e., Business Management.
•
Obtaining the expected results in relatively short periods was an important aspect
for the motivation and involvement of the participants in a project like this. Seeing
such rapid results and taking part directly of these, allowed the employees to real-
ize the possibilities of process improvement in general, and COMPETISOFT in
particular, despite the initial reticence that these projects may have caused.
•
Applying the improvements in pilot projects significantly reduced the resources
needed, as well as the risk associated with the implementation of improvements in
the companies' key processes.
•
A-R is strengthened by the Case Study because it allows more control in the execu-
tion of the proposals developed. This means an increase in the reliability of the re-
sults. By means of the integration of these two methods, a well defined structure
has been obtained for the development and application of the framework in VSEs.
Given that the results of the case studies are encouraging, new SPI initiatives are
planned for the eight organizations. We shall conduct a follow-up in the companies, to
attempt to determine whether this strategy has made an impact on the companies'
success in terms of market attributes.
Acknowledgements.
This work has been funded by the projects: INGENIO (PAC08-
0154-9262 of JCCM of Spain) and ARMONIAS (PII2109-0223-7948 of JCCM of
Spain). By the first author to the research fellowships granted by JCCM and funded
by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
References
[1]
Saiedian, H., Carr, N.: Characterizing a software process maturity model for small or-
ganizations. ACM SIGICE Bulletin 23(1), 2-11 (1997)
[2]
Johnson, D.L., Brodman, J.G.: Tailoring the CMM for Small Businesses, Small Organiza-
tions, and Small Projects. In: El Emam, K., Madhavji, N.H. (eds.) Elements of Software
Process Assessment and Improvement, pp. 239-259. IEEE CS Press, Los Alamitos (1999)
[3]
Hareton, L., Terence, Y.: A process framework for small projects. Software Process: Im-
provement and Practice 6(2), 67-83 (2001)
[4]
Staples, M., Niazi, M., Jeffery, R., Abrahams, A., Byatt, P., Murphy, R.: An exploratory
study of why organizations do not adopt CMMI. Journal of Systems and Software 80(6),
883-895 (2007)
[5]
Laporte, C., Alexandre, S., Renault, A.: Developing International Standards for Very
Small Enterprises. IEEE Computer 41(3), 98-101 (2008)
[6]
Richardson, I., Wangenheim, C.G.v.: Why are Small Software Organizations Different?
IEEE Software 24(1), 18-22 (2007)
[7]
Pino, F., Garcia, F., Piattini, M.: Software Process Improvement in Small and Medium
Software Enterprises: A Systematic Review. Soft. Quality Journal 16(2), 237-261 (2008)
