Crossing the chasm in software process improvement

Abstract

Software process improvement (SPI) is a well-known approach to enhance software quality and business efficiency. The approach has been widely used, discussed, adopted, and criticized within the software community since Watts Humphrey's introduction of SPI in 1989. SPI is a particular instance of diffusion of innovations. One challenging difficulty within diffusion of innovations is crossing the chasm between early adopters and early majority. To explore this issue in relation to SPI, we have studied an initiative implementing a new change request process and tool at the telecom company Ericsson AB in Gothenburg, Sweden. An action research approach was adopted with the double purpose of supporting the SPI initiative toward success while at the same time learning about tactics that SPI change agents can adopt to successfully cross the chasm. The study identifies a tactic, the guerrilla tactic, that SPI change agents can use to successfully cross the chasm and it discusses lessons from practicing this tactic in relation to the SPI and diffusion of innovation literature. © 2005 by International Federation for Information Processing. All rights reserved.