7.2 Inspection Benefit Methodology


6.4 Software Capability Maturity Model

The Software Capability Maturity Model is a minimum set of requirements for software project management. The Software Capability Maturity Model is a set of criteria for the U.S. Department of Defense to use when selecting defense contractors. Many now use the Software Capability Maturity Model as a standard for software process improvement. The Software Capability Maturity Model consists of five levels: initial, repeatable, defined, managed, and optimizing. The initial level has no requirements. The repeatable level consists of requirements management, software project planning, and software project tracking and oversight. It includes software subcontract management, software quality assurance, and software configuration management. The defined level consists of organizational process focus, organizational process definition, and training program. It includes integrated software management, software product engineering, intergroup coordination, and peer reviews. The managed level consists of quantitative process management and software quality management. The optimizing level consists of defect prevention, technology change management, and process change management.

The Software Capability Maturity Model requires 561 hours to develop the policies and procedures necessary for Levels 2 and 3. It also requires 1,176 hours to develop the necessary documentation for each project. It is a simple equation expressed as the sum of 561 and the number of software projects multiplied by 1,176. Figure 22 illustrates the cost model for the Software Capability Maturity Model .

start figure

Hours = 561 + 1,176 — Number of Projects

end figure

Figure 22: Cost Model for Software Capability Maturity Model

Level 2 requires 6 policies and 24 procedures at 11 hours each. Level 3 requires 7 policies and 14 procedures at 11 hours each. That comes to 561 hours for 51 policies and procedures. Level 2 requires 532 hours for 8 documents, 19 work authorizations, 29 records, 34 reports, and 19 meeting minutes. Level 3 requires 644 hours for 20 documents, 11 work authorizations, 37 records, 21 reports, and 12 meeting minutes. That comes to 1,176 hours for 210 documents, work authorizations, records, reports , and meeting minutes. This is for a single software project.

The fixed part of the Software Capability Maturity Model cost model is 561 hours. The variable portion is 1,176 hours, which is multiplied by the number of Software Capability Maturity Model -compliant projects to be appraised. The only question, then, is to determine the number of projects to appraise. How many software projects need to spend a minimum of 1,176 hours? Usually only four to seven software projects are necessary. This applies to even the largest organization undergoing a Software Capability Maturity Model appraisal. However, it is up to the discretion of the appraiser. You could take the opposite tack and require hundreds of software projects to be at Level 2 and 3. No appraiser would care to audit hundreds of projects. It is best not to incur the expense for such marginal gains. However, it is a common mistake of Software Capability Maturity Model novices to require all projects to be Software Capability Maturity Model compliant at enormous expense.




ROI of Software Process Improvement. Metrics for Project Managers and Software Engineers
ROI of Software Process Improvement: Metrics for Project Managers and Software Engineers
ISBN: 193215924X
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 145

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