A proposed Framework for Software Process Improvement: Extending CMMI-DEV model Using Six Sigma and Quality Function Deployment Techniques

Abstract

Software Process Improvement (SPI) has become the key to the survival of many software development enterprises. Various international SPI models, approaches and standards are developed. Numerous software development enterprises have chosen to utilize Capability Maturity Model Integrated (CMMI) model in order to access and improve their current software development processes, because CMMI is one of the most effective, widespread and acknowledged SPI models. Unfortunately, CMMI does not provide a systematic procedure of determining how to improve the software processes. That is, CMMI defines "what to do" but leaving "how to do it" to enterprises. Thus, it is desirable to have a means to guide the software companies in the development of action plans with the appropriate toolsets for SPI. These actions should be prescribed based on the software process requirements from relevant sources and various perspectives. Therefore, this research proposes a SPI framework that provides an overall process improvement strategy to be implemented in software development organization more effectively and comprehensively. The proposed improvement framework (SPI-CMMI) based on using Six sigma approach integrated with CMMI model and Quality Function Deployment (QFD) technique. The proposed SPI-CMMI framework is revised and estimated from CMMI appraisals in SECC center and implemented as a prototype to a real case study which provides acceptable results.