A strategy for preparing software organizations for statistical process control

Software organizations have increased their interest in software process improvement (SPI). Nowadays, there are several frameworks that support SPI implementation. Some of them, such as CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integration), propose to implement SPI in levels. At high maturity levels, such as CMMI levels 4 and 5, SPI involves carrying out statistical process control (SPC), which requires measures and data suitable for this context. However, measurement problems have been pointed in the literature as one of the main obstacles for a successful implementation of SPC in SPI efforts. With this scenario in mind, we developed a strategy to help software organizations prepare themselves regarding measurement aspects in order to implement SPC. The strategy is made up of three components: a Reference Software Measurement Ontology, an Instrument for Evaluating the Suitability of a Measurement Repository for SPC, and a Body of Recommendations for Software Measurement Suitable for SPC. In this paper we present the strategy as a whole and describe each one of its components.