ArSPI: An Artifact Model for Software Process Improvement and Management

Software process adaptation and improvement (SPI) addresses the need of companies to adapt new and/or im- prove their software processes in order to meet, e.g. business optimization goals or regulative requirements. Such an initiative comprises manifold activities, e.g. analyzing, designing, realizing, evaluating, and deploying new software processes or, respectively, new versions/variants of a maintained software process. Therefore, such initiatives are often considered to be (self-contained) projects. Although reference models such as CMMI and ISO 15504 contain practices and assessment methods they, however, lack in defining supporting artifacts for SPI projects, which help process engineers to structure the outcomes, to guide process engineers during the set-up and the operation of SPI projects. Therefore, setting-up and operating SPI projects highly depends on the individual expertise of process engineers. In this report, we present a compact artifact model and a set of complementing processes to support SPI projects and software process management (SPM), which we inferred from six years of experience. The presented model serves as template for creating analysis, design, and supporting artifacts in SPI projects. Furthermore, the artifact model is embedded into an organizational context in which SPI projects are initiated and executed, and the results are deployed to the process consumers. The report at hands serves as “data sink” and contains all detailed artifact model descriptions and further information aiding the definition of a software process management approach and, furthermore, provides guidance to process engineers to organize and manage a particular SPI project.