CrossTalk: The Journal of Defense Software Engineering. Volume 18, Number 3

TSP Can Be the Building Blocks for CMMI, by Alan S. Koch -- If you are just beginning a Capability Maturity Model Integration initiative, the Team Software Process can help you to bootstrap your process definition activities and train your engineers to be capable and productive at defining the processes they use. Microsoft's IT Organization Uses PSP/TSP to Achieve Engineering Excellence, by Carol A. Grojean -- The cost to train a Microsoft development team in the Team Software Process was more than paid for after the very first project the newly organized team ran. Experiences with the TSP Technology Insertion, by Ray Trechter and Iraj Hirmanpour -- These authors provide a look at the rewards and challenges of transitioning to the Team Software Process from two different perspectives: the TSP coach and the development manager supervising the TSP projects. Personal Earned Value: Why Projects Using the Team Software Process Consistently Meet Schedule Commitments, by David Tuma and David R. Webb -- These authors discuss why managing earned value at the team member level can produce a 10-times reduction in schedule variance by properly balancing team workload using personal data. A TSP Software Maintenance Life Cycle, by Chris A. Rickets -- Here is how a software maintenance project adapted the Team Software Process/Personal Software Process to develop a new proxy for estimating maintenance activity and creating a TSP software maintenance life cycle. Why Big Software Projects Fail: The 12 Key Questions, by Watts S. Humphrey -- This author addresses the principal questions concerning why large software projects are hard to manage, the kinds of management systems needed, and the actions required to implement such systems.