An investigation in software process assessment in the software development department of a large electricity utility

Abstract

The software development division in the Eskom Information Technology Department has recently Implemented process assessment techniques as well as metrics Lack of these tools may have resulted in projects being over-budget, overdue or not satisfying customer requirements, if not all three. This transpires in many other organisations regardless of size or industry sector. The techniques implemented are Function Point Analysis (FPA) and the ISO/IEC 15504 international standard for software process improvement and capability determination (SPICE). Subscription to the Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) Index Research and Advisory Services Performance Enhancement Programme (PEP) has facilitated the collection of baselining and measurement data, of which FPA is part. This paper seeks to provide background to these techniques, details of the four projects chosen for the comparative case study, and the approach taken for the study. This report discusses compatibility and comparability of these models within typical departmental projects where information was captured within the 1996 timeframe. The discussion revolves around data needed as input by both and data output as part of the corresponding profiles. Other comparisons include relation of these to specific quality properties or lack of quality best practices and the relationships between the two methods. The results have been disappointing in that the analysis provided no clear correlation between the two techniques. The paper observes possibilities for future research based on issues encountered which exceeded the scope of this project