June 29, 2005

Software Process Improvement -A Successful Journey

Background:
For many organizations like ours, the interim target of achieving ISO 9001 or CMM levels is a daunting task. Discipline is no fun -Organizations readily acknowledge that striving to address projects according to ISO 9001 or CMM guidelines requires the creation of new procedures. It is vital to the success of improvement efforts to realize that process change entails cultural change and its human nature to resist change. Numerous social and technical barriers must be overcome to effect lasting improvement.

My organization aimed for ISO 9001 certification and then CMM level 2 and Level 3 assessment approximately one and half year back and knew that it would be grilled thoroughly by the ISO auditors and CMM assessors. For Software Process Improvement first we need to know your strengths and weaknesses so that the management can scope the improvement effort. Only with this knowledge can we customize an infrastructure for process improvement. We have had success with plans tailored according to the Software Engineering Institute's CMM model. This includes formation of Software Process Engineering Group, who know their roles, responsibilities, charters, and action plans, which helps you develop a charter and vision and to establish a clear match to organizational goals and objectives. They will be much more effective if they receive the right formal and informal training. One pivotal decision was "not to reinvent the wheel", but seriously consider Industry Best Practices.

Later we saw that, Process improvement always pays dividends for those with the discipline to do it right.

Process Improvement Project

The Strategic Plan

A clear vision is essential to the success of process improvement project. Senior management in our case had the vision that Process is Product and was committed to sponsor and support improvement efforts. We were responsible for mobilizing people and resources to try and make it happen, but process improvement was a new endeavor for my group and everyone was unsure how to get started and get organized My organization went for strategic planning using Total Quality Management's Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle.

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June 22, 2005

Why Is Spam Such a Problem?

Spam can be a lot more damaging than you might think. Obviously, they are the most annoying thing that you can receive through your inbox, but it goes deeper than that. If you are like the millions of other internet email users, you know that sending and receiving email is a free service that comes with your internet service.

Internet service providers are great for providing you with a way to send letters to your friends and family while saving you the cost of postage and envelopes. You can even send cards for free with an email address. But don't let the free service make you think that you don't actually have to pay for it. Let me explain.

Internet service providers and web hosts do not get their email services for free. They have to pay for something that we do not have to pay for as consumers. They have to pay for bandwidth. That might not mean much to you, but for these companies, it means that they are forced to produce mass emails, and this means that their costs increase as well.

It may not seem to be a matter for the mere consumer, but let me tell you that this does affect you; here is how:

Since they are forced to send mass emails, which in turn raise their costs for service, you as the receiver are forced to pay more money for you internet service. This in a way helps ISP's to reduce their overhead costs.

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June 21, 2005

15 Questions to Ask Your Software Vendor

When making a decision to buy any piece of software there are a number of criteria typically evaluated. One of the most important elements in the decision process is the strength of the company that builds the software. In fact a survey of 19,000 customers has identified that company strength is the most important factor in choosing software, with the price of the software being the fifth most important element.

In evaluating a company's strength I would suggest you ask the following 15 questions, the answers to which will provide invaluable information in determining the viability of the company, their processes and their commitment to the product you are reviewing.

1. How long have you been in business?

2. When was you last upgrade released? When is the next one planned?

3. What's involved in doing an upgrade?

a. Can your customer's do it?
b. Are upgrades included in your annual fee?
c. Are they downloadable from your website?
d. Is documentation (installation instructions etc) included with the upgrades?

4. Are manuals available for the software?