European experiences with software process improvement

This paper provides a brief overview of the status of software process improvement (SPI) in Europe, its history, current situation and future direction. Four case studies are presented covering a diverse range of business domains, organisational sizes and approaches to SPI. The author has worked closely with each of the organisations involved in support of their SPI programmes. The case studies show the starting position of each company, the approach taken, results achieved and lessons learnt. A number of themes such as assessment approach used, cultural/people issues, etc. are used to explore the experiences of the various companies. The four case studies are: NewWorld Commerce (formerly Cunav Technologies), Motorola Cork, Silicon and Software Systems and Allied Irish Bank. Assessment models used include SPICE (ISO/IEC TR 15504) and Software Engineering Institute´s CMM (one organisation also achieved ISO9001 certification)