2.3 ISO 15504 (SPICE) and BOOTSTRAP 3.2

SPICE is the coming ISO 15504 standard for software process assessment. BOOTSTRAP 3.2 is a maturity model developed in Europe on the basis of CMM version 1.0, the ESA PSS05 development model, and ISO 9000. BOOTSTRAP is SPICE compatiblethat is, BOOTSTRAP 3.2 is a practical implementation of SPICE. Both models are continuous: the maturity is assessed for all process areas individually in an identical way. Configuration management is a requirement for obtaining level 2 for all process areas. Furthermore configuration management is a process area in its own right.

SPICE Process Model

The process model, including all process areas for SPICE, is shown in Figure 2-2. Configuration management is found as process area SUP.2 under Supporting Life Cycle Processes, Support Processes.

Figure 2-2. SPICE Process Area Model

Definition

SPICE (ISO 15504) defines configuration management as follows :

The purpose of the configuration management process is to establish and maintain the integrity of all the work products of a process or project.

Goals

SPICE does not explicitly set goals but states that as a result of successful implementation of the process,

• A configuration management strategy will be developed.

• All items generated by the process or project will be identified, defined, and baselined.

• Modifications and releases of the items will be controlled.

• The status of the items and modification requests will be recorded and reported .

• The completeness and consistency of the items will be ensured.

• Storage, handling, and delivery of the items will be controlled.

Best Practices

SPICE defines a number of best practices that should lead to a fulfillment of the purpose:

SUP.2.BP1: Develop configuration management strategy. Determine the configuration management strategy, including configuration management activities and schedule for performing these activities.

SUP.2.BP2: Establish configuration management system. Establish a configuration management system including libraries, standards, procedures, and tools.

SUP.2.BP3: Identify configuration items. Identify configuration items, such as software system, modules, components , and related documents by identifying the documentation that establishes the baseline, the version references, and other relevant identification details.

SUP.2.BP4: Maintain configuration item description. Maintain an uptodate description of each configuration item.

SUP.2.BP5: Manage changes. Record and report on the status of configuration items and modification requests. Changes to any configuration items should be reviewed and authorized.

SUP.2.BP6: Manage product releases. The release and delivery of any configuration items should be reviewed and authorized.

SUP.2.BP7: Maintain configuration item history. Maintain a history of each configuration item in sufficient detail to recover a previously baselined version when required.

SUP.2.BP8: Report configuration status. Regularly report the status of each configuration item and its relationship in the current system integration.

SUP.2.BP9: Manage the release and delivery of configuration items. The storage, handling, release, and delivery of the configuration items should be controlled.

BOOTSTRAP 3.2 has identical goals and activities, although some of them are worded slightly differently.

Maturity Levels

SPICE operates with six maturity levels, defined as shown in Figure 2-3. One of the attributes at level 2 is work product management. This means that for any given process area to obtain level 2, all relevant work products from the performance of the process area must be placed under configuration management. The explicit requirements for this configuration management are as described previously, applied to the process area under assessment.

Figure 2-3. SPICE Maturity Levels

Maturity of Configuration Management

Since the SPICE model is continuous and configuration management is a process area, configuration management may in itself be performed at the defined maturity levels.

To obtain level 1, configuration management must be performed in such a way that the goals are fulfilled.

Level 2 requires planning of configuration management and followup on performance according to the plan. Work products must be controlled with regard to both quality and integrity. This means that relevant work products from configuration management are to be placed under configuration management. This might include the configuration management plan.

To obtain level 3, the configuration management process has to be documented in a standardized way. This must allow for applicable customizations of the process to be introduced and documented and for feedback to be provided to the standard process. The necessary resources for performing configuration management (both human resources and tools and equipment) must be identified and made available.

Level 4 requires that the performance of configuration management and the results from configuration management be controlled though measurements and that the process be adjusted if it gets out of control.

At level 5, the measurements are used to support a continuous improvement of the way configuration management is performed and to measure the effects of this improvement.

Table 2-5. Mapping from SPICE Best Practices

SPICE Best Practices	Mapping to This Book
SUP.2.BP1: Develop configuration management strategy	Chapter 5Scoping the Configuration Management Task
SUP.2.BP2: Establish configuration management system	Chapter 5Scoping the Configuration Management Task Part VImproving Configuration Management
SUP.2.BP3: Identify configuration items	Chapter 1Identification Chapter 7What One Needs to Know about a Configuration Item
SUP.2.BP4: Maintain configuration item description	Chapter 1Identification Chapter 7What One Needs to Know about a Configuration Item
SUP.2.BP5: Manage changes	Chapter 1Change Control Chapter 8Event Registration Chapter 8Change Request
SUP.2.BP6: Manage product releases	Chapter 6Deliveries for Planned Events Like Milestones
SUP.2.BP7: Maintain configuration item history	Chapter 1Identification Chapter 1Change Control
SUP.2.BP8: Report configuration status	Chapter 1Status Reporting
SUP.2.BP9: Manage the release and delivery of configuration items	Chapter 1Storage Chapter 8Release Request