Lean Management of Software Processes and Factories Using Business Process Modeling Techniques

The software industry is moving towards a software factory business model, usually involving several centres collaborating on company contracts. The expected benefits of using specialized teams at lower cost locations are increased productivity and reduced costs. The tasks of project and process management have as a consequence become more complex. Managing such large structures requires more collaboration in development processes to enable rapid reaction to project needs, and support for the variety of technologies, methods, and levels of quality required by the different projects. This situation demands new practices and management support tools. This paper presents Zentipede, a tool for software process management. Its focus is on lightening, or even automating, management tasks by using Business Process Management (BPM) techniques. The tool does not force any particular practice on a company, but encourages it to model the practices which will finally be automated. Also, it supports process-to-product traceability.