Key Points

• The rationale behind SPI
• A success story in the making
• Essential attributes of an effective SPI model

Presentation Abstract

After exposure to all phases and various models of large-scale software engineering, the presenter became increasingly fascinated by the challenge of predictably engineering quality in software, and his search for a climate in which genuine SPI would "grow" well led him to join the software group of ARM Ltd (http://www.arm.com) early 1999 as a full-time internal SPI consultant. The paper relates his successes in this team since then and highlights a number of key prerequisites to viable SPI.

The concepts discussed would be of interest to anyone involved in SPI and/or related initiatives in growing software teams. The presenter's experience prior to joining ARM includes the setting up from scratch and management of a test department in a medium-sized software house.

About the Speaker

Jacobus C. Du Preez, BA Hons (French)

In 1989, following a career in translating/interpreting, Du Preez successfully produced an automated translation prototype, which led to a new career in software development. He first documented a 4GL, then developed and presented a training package for it, then worked as an applications developer, and ended up in senior support and test roles. This hands-on experience in all development life cycle phases left him fascinated by the challenge of predictably engineering genuine quality in software, in spite of the particular dynamics of the industry. He joined ARM in March 1999, where his role currently is to focus exclusively on software process improvement.

Lee D. Smith, MA (Cantab) (Mathematics, BA 1974)

Smith has been involved in the construction of large-scale software systems for more than 25 years. In 1978 he became an academic Computer Scientist (Edinburgh University) and in 1983 he moved to Acorn Computers to manage a VLSI design tools project. He moved into the field of compilers and development tools at the end of 1987, where he works until today. Smith has been with ARM since its start-up days, and he has been been involved in its software process improvement initiatives for more than five years. Smith is also co-author of "Challenges in Cross-development", an article published in the Jul/Aug 1997 IEEE Micro (http://computer.org/micro/mi1997/m4toc.htm).