May 7th, 2024
For Japanese Page
Why don't you aim to be a high-performance business organization by fostering "self-managed engineers" and "self-managed teams" who quickly and willingly develop high-quality software that meets user needs?
Over the past quarter century, software projects have failed to meet QCD
goals due to vague requirements, changing requirements, skills shortages,
slow progress, an unpredictable volume of test defects, and inadequate
support [1, 2, 3, 4]. However, the organizational processes may not detail
who or how to do it, and it may be difficult to improve it further.
The solution is to clearly guide the executor through all the necessary
operating steps and their sequence, so that they can focus on developing
high-quality software that meets their needs as planned. All procedures
such as development and project management are broken down into detailed
tasks, and these tasks are encapsulated in a correct order for each person
in charge of execution, such as engineers and teams, and defined as scripts
[5, 6].
The solution is to clearly guide the person who is doing it, including
all the necessary operating steps and their order. This allows you to focus
on developing high-quality software that meets your needs as planned. All
procedures such as software engineering and project management are broken
down into detailed tasks, and these tasks are encapsulated in a proper
order for each person in charge of execution, such as engineers and teams,
and defined as scripts [5, 6].
This new script can include new benefits. For example, when a work error
is detected, it identifies the work that has injected the error. If the
size of a work is estimated according to the estimation procedure, the
estimated value is statistically optimized (predicted) based on the recorded
actual performance data to show a more reliable size and effort (time).
Such scripts are provided to engineers as personal scripts [6]. According
to this script, once an engineer understands the needs, he/she creates
and proposes a solution (conceptual design) and the project plan. If they
are approved, proceeds the development and produces high-quality work and
improves productivity. These engineers are called self-managed engineers.
When self-managed engineers find inconsistencies in the solution or design,
they can quickly fix the solution and then the others. Track progress with
daily accuracy and can resolve delays as early as possible. They strive
to eliminate and prevent defects based on recorded data.
To learn the personal script and develop these skills, engineer takes approximately
two weeks of training from our certified instructors. The prerequisite
is a good understanding of one programming language. Quality (1/2 to 1/5
reduction in test defects) and productivity are improved, and the ability
to compile reports concisely and accurately is improved.
Project success requires ambitious but realistic teamwork. To do this,
a team script is used so that team members utilize fully their skills and
resources to respond user needs and achieve the project goals. Team leaders
are freed from progress tracking, work assignments, communication improvement,
etc., and are focused on the team management and support for team members
to ensure project success.
A team script guides you to build a team called a self-managed team which
is formed with self-managed engineers, support staff, experts, managers,
and senior manager if necessary. In this case, our certified coaches will
guide you through this script step by step in a concrete, easy-to-understand
manner [5].
The project launch script, which is one section of the team script, allows
the team and the senior management to review the solution, development
plan, resources, and skill fulfillment to ensure they are consistent and
achievable against the users, business, and technical needs. If achievable
and agreeable, the senior management communicates the importance of the
project and how to provide future support to the team.
The team members create and agree on the roles assigned to the members
and the rules of how they work together and make the best use of their
abilities and resources and then ask the leader for approval. This allows
the team to manage progress, delays, quality, and more by themselves.
Implementing self-managed teams simplify complex project management tasks
and negotiations. When projects are distributed among clients and contractors,
it is easier to manage the whole thing by configuring self-managed teams
for each site. In addition, in the development of products and services
in a matrix organization, a self-managed team is built virtually for each
product or service to be developed, and resource procurement and shipment
schedule management are easily performed.
Here are some examples of feedback from self-managed teams: they enjoyed
working on the project, they were able to get timely cooperation from other
team members, they were able to contribute more than expected, they were
able to stay within the plan, they were able to reduce the testing time
by 1/4, and they were able to improve the quality with each iteration of
the project [5, 7, 8, 9].
From the above explanation, we hope that you can understand the possibility
of proceeding with IT projects with a sense of security, ensuring that
your IT project QCD goals are achieved, and strengthening the software
business. You can take the "TSP Executive Strategy" to learn
more about these implementation strategies.
The Next Process Institute (NPI) is here to meet your needs. Visit the
“TSP Process Training Objectives” page and then the “Introduction of TSP courses” page for more detailed descriptions. If you would like to attend a seminar
or training, please refer to the "TSP Course Registration" page and send us your request. If you have any questions or requests,
please let us know from the "Contact Us" page. We will get back to you soon.
In addition, we offer a low fee for on-site seminars, courses, and coaching,
so please take advantage of this.
Thank you,
Yoshihiro Akiyama PhD., PMP
https://www.next-process.com
[1] Standish Group Reports 83.9% of IT Projects Fail – How to Save Yours
https://www.opendoorerp.com/the-standish-group-report-83-9-of-it-projects-partially-or-completely-fail/
(November 25, 2021)
[2] Japan Information Systems Users Association (JUAS) Corporate IT Trend
Survey Report 2022 (FY2021 Survey).
[3] Japan Information System Users Association (JUAS) User Company Software
Metrics Survey [System Development and Maintenance Survey Report] 2020
Edition.
[4] Troubles such as double bookings in seat reservation systems and large-scale
failures in mobile IC card payment systems have been reported even around
us. Any test cannot show that the defect detected this time is the last.
This is demonstrated.
[5] Since the 1990s, the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon
University (CMU/SEI) in the United States has been working on this problem.
In 2001, Dr. Watts S. Humphrey, an advocate of Software CMM, led the development
and verification of PSP/TSP (Personal Software Process/Team Software Process).
Many companies, including Boeing and Microsoft, have demonstrated the performance.
Dr. Watts S. Humphrey awarded prestigious National Medal of Technology
in 2009 Technology (Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute’s Watts
Humphrey Awarded Prestigious National Medal of Technology (cmu.edu). CMM,
PSP, and TSP are service marks of Carnegie Mellon University, USA.
[6] A script (a theatrical script or musical score) is a sequence of who,
when, how, and what actions should be performed in the correct order from
beginning to end. Being able to check the start and end conditions of a
script at the beginning and end of the script confirms the guarantee of
script execution. Each time a script step is executed, it records the size
of the work, the time needed to complete the work, the defect found/removed
and the name of the work that created it. Check your progress from these
data.
[7] Caper Jones, Software Engineering Best Practices: Lessons from Successful
Projects in the Top Companies, 2009/11/5
[8] TSP Symposium (2006-2014) organized by CMU/SEI and the TSPi projects
conducted by graduate students since 2010.
[9] Next Process Laboratories Co., Ltd. started this initiative efforts
in 2007 as a CMU/SEI strategic partner, providing seminars, training, and
project support to many engineers, administrators, university faculty and
students of companies and universities in Japan and China.
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