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Software Process Improvement (SPI): Modeling Return on Investment (ROI)

This article exhibits metrics and models for estimating return on
investment (ROI) of software process improvement (SPI). Additionally, this
article is designed to show software managers and engineers: 1) how to
estimate ROI early, quickly, and accurately, 2) how to maximize ROI using
total life cycle costs, and 3) how to estimate ROI for Inspections, Personal
Software Process (PSP), Team Software Process (TSP), Software
Capability Maturity Model (SW-CMM), ISO 9001, and CMM Integration
(CMMI).
David Rico
September 24, 2002
How to Estimate ROI for Inspections, PSP, TSP, SW-CMM, ISO 9001, and CMMI

This article shows software managers and engineers how to estimate ROI early, quickly, and accurately by applying practical top-down methods for rapidly producing authoritative estimates of ROI for popular approaches to SPI. These approaches include: Inspections, Personal Software Process (PSP), Team Software Process (TSP), Software Capability Maturity Model (SW-CMM), ISO 9001, and Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI).
David Rico
September 18, 2002
Knowledge Management - The Road Ahead for Success

The new millennium is in the midst of explosive change, witnessing intense competition among the domestic as well as the international players. Little wonder then, that knowledge management is fast emerging as a core strategy, that organizations worldwide are adapting to manage and leverage organizational knowledge for sustainable business advantage. In this world of rapid change, we have to create new knowledge and ideas constantly, by looking at what we know, and applying it to what we do not yet know.

The organizations that are driven by knowledge are the ones that will succeed. The combination of global reach and speed compels organizations to ask themselves, "What do we know, who knows it, what do we not know that we should know?"

This paper describes, in a nutshell, that organizations can attain maturity in KM only through healthy coexistence of technology, processes, and people.
Hemamalini Suresh
September 3, 2002
Writing Better Defect Reports

Why do some testers get a much better response from development than others? Part of the answer lies in the defect report. Following a few simple rules can smooth the way for a much more productive environment. The objective is not to write the perfect defect report, but to write an effective defect report that conveys the proper message, gets the job done, and simplifies the process for everyone. This paper focuses on two aspects of defect reports: 1) the remarks or description and 2) the abstract.
Kelly Whitmill
August 29, 2002
Memory Leaks and Their Prevention in a Java Application using Rational Purify

This paper discusses the use of Rational Purify (an automated debugging and software testing tool that detects memory leaks) in our application which was developed with J2EE technology. The application was tested with Purify and the results obtained were analyzed to fix the memory leaks. A brief discussion about the process for analysis through Purify is also discussed.
Sanjay Gupta
August 22, 2002
What Testers Can Do About Technical Debt (Part 2)

Signs of technical debt are everywhere in software development organizations, ranging from developers leaving because they're tired of only doing maintenance, to daily patches being released for poorly tested products. In Johanna Rothman's Part 1 column, she listed several indicators of technical debt. She continues the topic by showing how you can diagnose the magnitude of the debt, and some things you can do to decrease it.
Johanna Rothman's picture Johanna Rothman
August 20, 2002
Configuration Management Concepts

This article is an excerpt from a user manual for a CM tool, AccuRev. It is the first chapter (36 pages) of the 333-page user manual, which is posted here because it contains an excellent, general explanation of configuration management.
John Posner's picture John Posner
August 19, 2002
issues management reporting Testing in a Squeezed, Squeezed World

This document looks at the issues that can arise and suggests solutions when a testing
project becomes constrained by deadlines. While this is true of most testing projects, there
are some with farther reaching consequences than others, especially if the deadline is
immovable. I hope to impart a few key points along with a few tips and techniques on what to do when
you find yourself in this situation. This list is not exhaustive and the ideas presented here
may need to be adapted to your own specific project. However, when the chips are down and
you need to bring in some semblance of software that is tested, these ideas may be a good
starting point. This paper is intended for testing managers, but the points and tips contained within it will be
of use to anyone involved in planning for a deadline-fixed project.
Geoff Horne
August 16, 2002
Managing Quality during the Endgame

This article covers the dynamics that managers have to respond to in the period between code complete and ship in a professional software development environment. Through pragmatic principles and hands-on examples from real-world projects, it demonstrates how to plan the endgame, how to target the established quality bar, how to measure progress, how to use steering forces to drive progress, and how to deal with team morale issues during long stabilization efforts.
Bruce Schoor
August 15, 2002
What Testers Can Do About Technical Debt (Part 1)

Is your company drowning in debt? No, we don't mean the fancy fleet of cars that aren't paid for, or the new artwork in the lobby bought on credit-we're talking about technical debt. In this column, Johanna Rothman has a few tips on how to recognize technical debt in your organization.
Johanna Rothman's picture Johanna Rothman
August 12, 2002

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