Improving Software Organizations: From Principles to Practice

Rating:
Summary: Finally - a practical roadmap to SPI
Review: This book departs from all others that I have read on SPI by tossing the theory and giving, instead, a practical roadmap for implementing SPI.

The theme is learning, and it is manifested on a number of levels in this book, foremost of which is that fact that the information provided is based on real life experience in four companies. The book is divided into the following five sections:

I. LEARNING TO IMPROVE (covers learning SPI in practice and mapping SPI ideas and practices).
II. LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCE (discusses the correct way to approach SPI based on documented experience and studies of successful implementation, and approaches that do not work - sort of like anti-patterns).
III. INITIATING LEARNING (learning From assessments, how to use problem reports to improve products, and a framwork for selecting an assessment strategy).
IV. ORGANIZING FOR LEARNING (strategies for organizational learning in SPI).
V. TECHNIQUES FOR LEARNING TO IMPROVE (framework for implementing SPI, managing risk during SPI implementation, metrics implementation principles and better requirements.

Among the things I like most are: (1) The recognition that learning is the key to SPI. This is an insight that is sometimes lost, especially when too many organizations focus on tools, passing an assessment and other issues instead of the reason for SPI in the first place. (2) Lessons learned from four major companies. Value: Shows (a) it can be done, (b) it's not easy, and (c) mistakes to avoid. (3) No hype. There is no preaching, glowing promises or the like here.

If your organization is pursuing SPI or is already engaged in it, this book will save you considerable aggravation, show common pitfalls to avoid, and focus you on the essence of SPI.

Rating:
Summary: Decent introduction to the concepts
Review: This book is a decent introduction to the concepts involved in Software Organization Process improvement but not enough to take you all the way. You'll need additional resources.