Commitment Nets in Software Process Improvement

TL;DR

This paper introduces a model of commitment nets at organizational levels to explain the success factors in software process improvement (SPI), emphasizing the importance of commitment for SPI success.

Contribution

It proposes a novel commitment nets model for understanding SPI efforts and demonstrates its application through case studies of industrial SPI initiatives.

Findings

SPI success is driven by formation and reformation of commitment nets

Strategic, operational, and personal commitment nets influence SPI outcomes

Implications for managing commitment in SPI initiatives

Abstract

Several studies have revealed the fact that nearly two-thirds of all software process improvement (SPI) efforts have failed or have at least fallen short of expectations. Literature and practice have shown that commitment to SPI at all organizational levels is essential for the success of any SPI endeavor. A research model for studying the existence, development and interplay of SPI-related commitment is introduced in this paper. This study suggests that software organizations operate through strategic, operational and personal commitment nets. These nets consist of actors, drivers, concerns, actions, commitment, and outcomes. The commitment nets model is applied in a study of four industrial SPI initiatives. The results from two of these cases are reported here. The results show that SPI is driven through the formation and reformation of commitment nets. The contents of strategic, operational and personal commitment nets are laid out and implications are discussed.