All Answers: Re: (What research Pakistan needs ?) Re: (For Pakistan) Re: [pakgrid] CMMI for project based SMEs

Umema,

I 100% agreed with you on "...Majority treat SPI as testing and code error removing activity" ,

this was a main reason due to which I left QA field because companies hire me as a "PROCESS MANAGER" etc but later on my team was only testing and reporting bugs – although it is a mandatory process for a software house BUT you know , A 20% of formal SPI if involved could easily removed 80% of the development and testing time...

anyway, you may count me one more addition to your research area if required.

Thanks & Regards

Asad Imam
Independent Software Developer / Freelancer
www.QSOFTSolution.com
C | : + 92 333 2141856.
Skype | : asad9999
IM | : asadimam@hotmail.com
E | : info@qsoftsolution.com

From: Syeda Umema Hani

Sent: Tuesday, April 10, 2012 4:51 PM

To: pakgrid

Subject: (What research Pakistan needs ?) Re: (For Pakistan) Re: [pakgrid] CMMI for project based SMEs

Respected Hameed sahab,

Please check this reference http://www.igi-global.com/book/software-process-improvement-small-medium/931

I myself is trying to know what Pakistani software houses really gainned from PSEB's sponsored investment on SPI and trying to do some thing through which not only they but also interested ones could enjoy SPI fruits insahAllah.

In our Software market people hardly understand software engineering specially realted to process engineering. Majority treat SPI as testing and code error removing activity. Majority of Pakistani researchers are doing research realted to testing which is also important.

I think you are also concerned with CMMI framework so the good news is, that tabular mapping is already available for CMMI's KPIs mapping with RUP + SCRUM or Lean development models.

I would like paste here email which we have received on pakgrid few days back and received no reply. I request to Pakistani research authorities to give some importance to this field as our country really needs improvement. And what are we usually doing is we go for trendy and extremely latest technology based research in areas like Grid computing, FPGA, Ontologies, green technology etc...

My point is if we are not capable of working in Quality environment how could we produce Reliable technologically advanced solutions??

Especially for Pakistan research should be merged with its adaptation in industries while focusing over quality practices which we are lacking in.

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From: Anjum Iqbal <anjum.research@gmail.com>
To: pakgrid <pakgrid@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, 26 March 2012, 11:30
Subject: [pakgrid] Software Engineering & PEC

Assalam o Alaikum !

For the development and improvement of software faculties and industries in Pakistan, is it possible for Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) to focus this potential area of knowledge based economy?

Regards

Anjum Iqbal

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I sincerely would like to suggest you that if you are SPI related professional then first prepare some questionnaire and then share it to literate people first and ask them your questions. To come up with some questionnaire you need to Explore all classical and advance SPI possibilities which are already experimented or adapted globally in countries like in Malaysia, spain etc.

I think you should forward that questionnaire to related professionals, researchers in similar field for example Dr. m.k. niazi who has good exposure to SPI. Or you could contact any one from INMIC2012 organizing university i think they are gathering huge Software engineering and SPI research pool. You should contact stable swhouses who have some sense of SPI. Last but not least you should also fwd your questionnaire to SPI auditors.

I could also help you further but kindly come up with detailed exploration and try to present your queries as per SPI categories.

Let me give you some quick start:

As I am concerned and related to Software Development field therefore I am not talking about other constellations of SPI frameworks:

SPI adaptation mainly depends over:

1. SME's Business Goals for SPI.

2. If software development is need then what SDLC model that SME is comfortable with.

For quick SPI adaptation RUP framework + Agile SCRUM + Lean Software Development are good models to start with. These models are recommended for fast software development with only relevant documentation and measurements that result in Quality software.

3. Proper process improvement plan that should be compliant with strategy map or business goals.

4. You could not skip Software Engineering related any single PA but what deliverable you are interested in to perform that practice totally depends on your SDLC choice connected with measurement preferences.

5. That SME could also adapt Six Sigma approach it helps a lot in attaining higher level organizational maturity for continuous process improvement.

I think you are also concerned with CMMI framework so the good news is, that tabular mapping is already available for CMMI's KPIs mapping with RUP + SCRUM or Lean development models.

With regards,

Syeda Umema Hani,
Assistant Professor, Computer Engineering Department, www.ssuet.edu.pk,
PhD (Software Engineering) fellow, GSESIT, www.hamdard.edu.pk,
www.ssuet.edu.pk/~suhani, suhani@ssuet.edu.pk, ++92-21-111994994(STI department)

From: Hameed Rehman <hameed.rehman@systemsresearchltd.com>
To: Syeda Umema Hani <umema_hani@yahoo.com>
Cc: "pakgrid@yahoogroups.com" <pakgrid@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, 10 April 2012, 15:01
Subject: Re: (For Pakistan) Re: [pakgrid] CMMI for project based SMEs

Dear Umema sahiba,

Thanks for taking out time in answering my query in detail. I am totally agreed what you said. You gave example of the organizations who have adopted SPI and now getting benefit out of it. But all of them are large organization, they build themselves and then went for process improvement. You rightly mentioned the cost factor and its return. You might have noticed that most of these organizations are not improving their level because of cost issues and unstable business conditions.

I want to bring the cost of SPI adoption down for Pakistani project based SMEs like Brazil, China and India did. They trimmed, re-developed and adopted SPI practices as per their domestic software industry conditions. I want to develop a trimmed down version of CMMI which would bring the cost of SPI adoption down. It will lay a foundation for these SMEs to adopt SPI from early stages and internationalize their business.

In your opinion what trimming we can do in CMMI in order to address this issue while keeping project based SME in mind.

Regards,

Hameed

On Fri, Apr 6, 2012 at 12:08 PM, Syeda Umema Hani <umema_hani@yahoo.com> wrote:

Dear Hammad sahab i am happy to see few of our Pakistani Software Houses like Netsol, Systems limited and also Shukat Khanum memorial's IT department are doing good job in adaptation of SPI in order to enjoy its benefits. I think you should ask this question from some auditor he would better guide you.

// Why project based SMEs are not adopting CMMI for their process improvement.

-First of all our SMEs do not believe in benefit figures which are available publically and could be seen through SEI website.

- Even we hesitate in adapting empirical models at different stages of swdev (like FP, COCOMO, other metrics) they think models should be developed for our environmental data as our cultural issues are entirely different related to our working practices. But no one is practically trying to learn how they could calibrate or build new models this is one major research area .

-Software development organizations are not willing to invest single pesa on hiring additional resources. SPI adaptation needs not only certification costs but also we need to follow proper process as well as HR structure for that which means more investment.

-I think companies need to literate themselves like from engineering point of view that which proper activity could impact in which direction and after how long their impact should become visible. Without this kind of realization how could SMEs going to realize true worth of SPI. Previously PSEB sponsored major share in this regard and setup very delicate criteria for organizations to quality for this sponsorship.

//If they should adopt it then what kind of changes you suggest (what KPIs and goal they opt and what they should leave) they should make in order to afford its cost and improve their processes.

- You are using strategic management term KPI with Process Improvement framework, proper way is to use term Process Area (PA) or specific practices for it. It is not necessary that every specific practice reflects some KPI but they may be unavoidable for the adaptation of some specific compulsory process area.

- Although from strategic point of view yes we could Map measureable goals of CMMI into KPI. Already allot of case studies are available on SEI repository, DACS website. I would suggest you to Google internet you should find tabular listings for selected Process Areas.

-One more thing that is very important which I would like to highlight here is that Pakistani Software Industry is not focusing over intelligent usage of CMMI which is possible under Multimodal scenarios.

Here your concern is SME but i think first one should explore with what combination of Software Engineering practices like (Agile, SCRUM, Lean or XP etc) CMMI could outperform. Means adaptation of different SE practices show different variations of PA 's specific practices selection.

And SWENG practices selection depends upon our goals. Even for a Quality Software Development environment our preferences might vary. May be we are not interested in Quick delivery of product but we are really concerned with minimal pre-release defect etc.

With kind regards,

Syeda Umema Hani,
PhD (Software Engineering) fellow in Software Process Improvement,
GSESIT, www.hamdard.edu.pk,

Assistant Professor, Computer Engineering Department, www.ssuet.edu.pk,
www.ssuet.edu.pk/~suhani, suhani@ssuet.edu.pk, ++92-21-111994994(STI department)

From: Hameed Rehman <hameed.rehman@systemsresearchltd.com>
To: pakgrid@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, 5 April 2012, 14:54
Subject: [pakgrid] CMMI for project based SMEs

Why project based SMEs are not adopting CMMI for their process improvement. If they should adopt it then what kind of changes you suggest (what KPIs and goal they opt and what they should leave) they should make in order to afford its cost and improve their processes.

Regards,

Hameed