The Journey to Software Process Maturity
University Club
University of California, Irvine
There is a $15.00 charge for non-sponsors.
Checks should be made payable to UC Regents.
No reservations required.
We can all remember when embedded software development was a major problem area for many large integrated systems. Tiger teams, fire fighting, and audits were common everyday activities. Within the Boeing Space Transportation Systems (STS) organization, we institutionalized a smooth running software development team using well-defined processes and trained employees. I would like to share thoughts and insights that helped bring about this transition. The first is that we approached process improvement in response to our business goals. Secondly, we acknowledged process improvement is a human issue. Hear how we developed a management goal framework as a road map for the business case. Also, hear how we implemented a simple four-step formula for success to address the human aspects of cultural change. This formula, applied to software development, resulted in dramatic improvements and excellent performance for STS.
Biography: George Yamamura is the Software Engineering Process Manager of Boeing Information, Space & Defense Systems (ISDS) in Seattle, Washington. He supports ISDS programs and deployment of best practices. Previous to that, he managed the STS software development and its effort that led to an SEI CMM Level 5 rating. He has 30 years of software experience in the space application field. He has bachelor's and master's degrees in Aeronautics & Astronautics from the University of Washington and a master's degree in Applied Math from the University of Santa Clara.
Challenges to Software Process Maturity
Gary B. Wigle,
Associate Technical Fellow, Information, Space and Defense Systems,
The Boeing Company,
gary.b.wigle@boeing.com
The road to successful process improvement requires a clear understanding of the challenges ahead for the Software Engineering Process Group (SEPG). Many organizations believe the effort will be straightforward and too often view it in mechanical terms without addressing the unique problems to be encountered. We have identified sixteen areas that can provide unique challenges for the SEPG. We have grouped these challenges into three areas, with the first group of challenges being those related to people issues. Consistent with our philosophy, we view process improvement first, and foremost, as a human issue. The second group of challenges is related to processes, and the third group of challenges focuses on problems related to process assets.
Biography: Gary Wigle is the Associate Technical Fellow for software processes in Boeing's ISDS in Seattle, Washington. He has more than twenty-five years of experience in embedded software applications, both in the Air Force and at Boeing. He was the SEPG lead for STS as it accomplished a SEI CMM Level 5 rating. He has a bachelor's degree in Physics from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a master's degree in Systems Management from the Air Force Institute of Technology.
Coordinator:
Karen Chan,
CQA, Principal Engineer/Scientist, Information,
Space and Defense Systems,
The Boeing Company,
karen.k.chan@boeing.com
UCI Maps and Directions to meeting are available.
Next Meeting:
Date: Friday, August 28, 1998
Topic: The Systems/Software Engineering Interface: Impact of COTS and
New Software Technology Developments
Speaker: Dorothy McKinney, Director, Mission Success, Lockheed Martin
Missiles and Space Company
Coordinator: Rick Hefner, TRW, rick.hefner@trw.com
The Irvine Research Unit in Software wishes to thank its corporate sponsors:
Sustaining:
Supporting:
Continuus Software Corporation * Hewlett Packard
For further information on SPIN or IRUS,
Irvine Research Unit in Software