The Effect of Implementing a Process

Process changes are difficult, and it may be a long time before you see their true effects. This is in contrast to the adoption of a new tool, something that is relatively easy and fast: You install it, read the user manual, go through an example, and maybe attend a training course. The transition to a new tool might last from a few hours to a couple of weeks. But changing the software development process often means affecting the fundamental beliefs and values of the individuals involved and changing the way they perceive their work and its value. It is a cultural change, and often political or philosophical as well.

A process change affects the individuals and the organization more deeply than a change of technology or tools. It must be planned and managed carefully . The adopting organization must identify the opportunity and the benefits, convey them clearly to the interested parties, raise their level of awareness, and then gradually change from the current practice to a new practice. Ivar Jacobson describes this as "reengineering your software engineering process." [1]

[1] Ivar Jacobson and Sten Jacobson, "Reengineering Your Software Engineering Process," Object Magazine , March “April, 1995.

When implementing a process, you must address the following areas:

  • The people and their competence, skills, motivation, and attitude: You must make sure that everyone is adequately trained and motivated. To succeed with the process-implementation project, it is important to involve people in the effort as early as possible. They are an important source of information when you are assessing the software development organization's current state. Second, you should ensure that everyone understands the current state of the organization and perceives the problems it is experiencing as well as how and where they can improve. Building up this understanding is one of the keys to success for any change project.

  • The supporting tools: You must buy new tools, replace old ones, and customize and integrate others.

  • The software development process: This includes the life-cycle model, the organizational structure, the activities to be performed, the practices to be followed, the artifacts to be produced, and the scope of the software development process.

  • The description of the software development process.

Other areas also affect the way people work ”for example, the physical working environment, the management structure (treatment of people, how people are involved in decision making), and the organizational structure (reporting, organizational units, workgroup relationships, etc.).

In addition to the people whose work is affected most directly by the process change, you must take into consideration the people who otherwise might feel excluded from the change process:

  • Managers are responsible for the performance of the software development organization. They must understand why you are changing the process and why you are procuring new tools. It is important that they understand how (and whether) progress is being made. Any process improvement project must have executive support. You must make sure that management understands that there is a return on the investment in changing the process, and you must also manage that expectation carefully.

  • Customers must be informed that your process effectively takes their needs into consideration to evolve the product as their needs change.

  • Other parts of the software development organization are also affected. Sometimes you change only one part of the organization, and that may lead to resistance and skepticism from other parts of the organization. Often, the people in other departments do not understand what you are doing and why you are doing it. Even if they do not have a direct influence, their exclusion may cause political problems. Start early to let the entire organization know what is going on and where the process change is heading.



The Rational Unified Process. An Introduction
Blogosphere: Best of Blogs
ISBN: B0072U14D8
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2002
Pages: 193

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