|
May / June 2004 Feature Article
|
|
What is a Process?
One of the many definitions describes a process as follows: "A process is a set of practices performed to achieve a given purpose; it may include tools, methods, materials, and/or people." A process is also often described as one leg of the process-people-technology triad, yet it may also be considered as the "glue" that unifies the other aspects. It is therefore important to understand that having a motivated quality workforce and the latest technology won't lead to a testing organisation performing at its peak. We also require a roadmap that details, directs, and assigns activities and utilisation of scarce resources.
It follows that the determinants of product cost, schedule, and most importantly in the case of testing - the quality
of the product - should reside in the process leg of the triad. This article attempts to answer this by using the process-people-technology triad. Work Smarter, Not Harder The testing workforce, on average, is only as good as it is trained to be, implying that if we don't have a structured approach to our work, we can't expect to train a new recruit to function productively. The constant focus on increased productivity has also forced most testing organisations to expect more from their resources. The solution? Not to work harder, but to work smarter - through process. Technology and Process If we shift our focus to the technology leg of the triad, it should be clear that applying expensive technology without a clear roadmap would yield no significant payoff. The fact is that technology will provide the most benefit if applied in the context of an appropriate process roadmap. Focus on Quality The quality of a system is significantly influenced by the quality of the process used to acquire, develop and maintain it. This implies indirectly that it is not possible to develop or test an application successfully if the process used to do this isn't designed with quality in mind. It also implies that the same amount of focus should be spent on the quality of the process, as is spent on the product itself. While this has been acknowledged in the manufacturing sector for some time, it has only recently become accepted in software development circles. Where Did It All Start? The theories of process management are a synthesis of concepts of Deming, Crosby, Juran and others, as discussed below:
The story of Dr. W. Edwards Deming is a well-known one. An American industrial engineer whose radical methods
were not accepted by US industry, they so impressed Japanese industry that the Japanese named their highest
industrial award after Deming. In its absolutely simplest form, Deming's message was to focus as much or more
on how something is done, rather than on what is done.
Crosby's name is best known in relation to the concepts of Do it Right First Time and Zero Defect. He considers
traditional quality control, acceptable quality limits and waivers of sub-standard products to represent
failure rather than assurance of success. Crosby therefore defines quality as conformance to the requirements
that the company itself has established for its products, based directly on the customers' needs. He believes
that since most companies have organisations and systems that allow deviation from what is really required,
manufacturing companies spend around 20% of their revenue doing things wrong and doing them over again. According
to Crosby this can be 35% of the operating expenses for service companies.
There are many aspects to Joseph M Juran's messages on quality. Intrinsic is the belief that quality does not
happen by accident, it must be planned. Juran sees quality planning as part of the quality trilogy of quality
planning, quality control and quality improvement.
Over the last 30 years, the theories of Deming, Crosby, and Juran have been used to address quality problems
common to many organisations. Many solutions have been discovered, but the gap exists between the state of the
practice and the state of the art. Many of these concepts have been used to build process-improvement models.
The concept of a process model requires more clarity. A model is a structured collection of elements that
describes characteristics of effective processes. Processes included in these models are those proven by
experience to be effective.
A process model is also important because it gives us a place from which to start our process journey.
By using an existing model in our process definition activities, we benefit from the testing and process
communities' prior experiences, and it provides our testing organisation with a common language and a
shared vision. It is, however, important to remember the words of George Box: "All models are wrong;
some are useful." It is very important to remember that process improvement should be done to help
the business and not for its own sake.
Work done by different organisations has lead to the development of various process models. The SEI, ISO,
EIA, and other organisations have generated models of their own, based on widely accepted practices with
proven benefits.
Software CMM® and ISO 9000 are examples of models created by the above organisations. The remainder of
this discussion focuses mainly on the CMMI® model, which is the result of the work done by the SEI.
The CMMI® process model provides a testing organisation or department with guidance to improve the
organisation's processes, and the ability to manage the service it delivers to the client or the organisation
at large. The CMMI® model uses approaches with a proven track record by placing them in a structure
that allows the testing organisation to examine the effectiveness of its existing processes, prioritise,
and implement improvements.
The CMMI® model was designed with input from industry, US Government and the SEI. The team
members that contributed to the creation of the model have an average of 21 years' industry experience and are from
organisations with a solid and sound process background.
|
Best practice The strategy used in the development of the model was to base the content on current best practices. The models were further publicly reviewed and pilots conducted. Updated versions of the model are released based on the information and feedback received from the reviews and pilots. In brief, the CMMI® model provides a testing organisation with a set of process improvement goals and priorities. It further provides guidance in the creation of quality processes, and a benchmark against which to measure a company or organisation. The context
When a testing company evaluates its processes for improvement, it is important for the organisation to understand
the context within which these process improvements will be viewed and assessed. The following three points provide
a backdrop against which to view any process improvements: Categories of process improvement
We can basically categorise process improvements into the following categories: Some examples To demonstrate the impact and the benefits of CMMI®, especially from a testing point of view, the following are some examples contained in a recent white paper released by the SEI.
The testing organisation starting on the road to process improvement and using the CMMI® has two
options with regard to implementation:
By using this approach, the organisation is able to select the order of process improvement that would best
meet its business objectives. It further allows a company to compare itself with other organisations in
relation to specific process areas.
This approach provides a proven sequence of improvements, each serving as a foundation for the next. It
allows organisations to compare competitors using maturity levels. It further provides a single rating
that summarises appraisal results.
In Conclusion Now that we have a basic understanding of the origin of process, what a process model is, and some initial discussions on the CMMI® process, the articles that follow will look at staged representation of the CMMI® in more detail. This will include a discussion on the five maturity levels within CMMI®, and discuss the process areas represented in each of these levels in more detail. Mike Snyman and Dhani Kowlaser CMM® and CMMI® are registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office by Carnegie Mellon University. |
<< March / April 2004 |
July / August 2004 >> |