"The instructor was great! The presentation was extremely well done and useful. The overall quality of the course, the organization of the course topics, and the benefit that I will obtain from the course are outstanding." 
Jacci Watson, Senior Software Quality Engineer, AlliedSignal/L-3

 

Quick  
    Facts... 

ISO 9000 Series 
The ISO 9000 series is a set of standards. ISO 9001, 9002, and 9003 are standards that define requirements for quality systems. Other standards in the series (e.g., ISO 9000-3, ISO 9004-2, etc.) are guides for their interpretation and use. ANSI /ISO /ASQC Q9000 series standards are ANSI standards that are considered identical in content to the ISO 9000 series.
ISO 9001, consisting of twenty requirements, defines a model of quality assurance in the design, development, production, installation, and servicing of any product in any industry. The model applies also to service industries. The requirements define what a seller organization must do to be capable of meeting its customers' stated and implied needs.
The ISO 9000 model of quality assurance has been accepted widely in Europe, Asia, and the United States. In some circumstances and markets, conformance to the model is mandatory.
Capability Maturity Model®
The Capability Maturity Model for Software from the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) is probably the world's best-known software process maturity model.
The model defines five levels of software process maturity. Level 1 is the initial level. Here, software is developed in an ad-hoc way, perhaps even in chaos. Processes are not defined. Projects must depend upon heroic individual efforts.
At levels 2 through 5, software processes are increasingly mature. This means that increasingly they are defined, managed, measured, controlled, and effective.
This model is well-known for its key process areas (KPAs) at each level of maturity and for the goals and activities of each KPA.
The model has been widely adopted by military organizations in the United States, and by commercial software organizations in the United States, Europe, and Asia.
IEEE/EIA 12207 
IEEE/EIA 12207 is the industry implementation of ISO/IEC 12207, "Software Life Cycle Processes." It was adopted for use by the United States Department of Defense on May 27, 1998.
IEEE/EIA 12207 is a sophisticated standard. It offers a comprehensive checklist of questions to ask when planning a software acquisition or software development project.
Within the standard, there is a model of the interactions and activities of  five primary parties, acquirer, supplier, developer, operator, and maintainer, to agreements that span the entire software life cycle. In addition, the standard includes requirements for twelve additional life cycle processes, and guidance on tailoring.
Technology Transition Model 
The Technology Transition Model (TXM) from the SEI is an organized, common-sense way to lead the adoption of new technology. It consists of eight, familiar, practical activities.
Within the TXM, technology is defined to include today's most prominent new technologies, for example Y2K fixes, Internet tools, client / server networks, and data warehousing, as well as new software processes.
The TXM provides detailed guidance on the Acting phase of the SEI's IDEAL Model. Many TXM projects might be needed within a single IDEAL initiative.

 
Description. Four useful models of software engineering activities are presented and compared. Using a popular, generic model of project management, the course shows how the models can contribute to better software project planning.
Three of the models are embedded in the ISO 9000 series of standards from the International Organization for Standards (ISO), the Capability Maturity Model for Software® (CMM®) from the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) at Carnegie Mellon University, and IEEE/EIA 12207 from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The course presents key elements of each model and relates them to key elements of the other models.
Since technology change frequently occurs during software projects, the course also presents the major activities of the SEI's technology transition model (TXM), a model of technology change planning and management.
Objectives? Participants who complete this course will be able to assess better the impact on their organizations of adopting one or more of the three influential models of software project activities. Also, participants will understand the major elements of an important SEI model for managing technology-related change. Participants will be able to assess better the benefits and costs of using these models for software project planning.

Topics

1. Skyscrapers to Sand Castles   
  • Software sand castles  
  • Engineering principles for software  

2. Project Management with Processes and Models   

  • How to use engineering models in project management  

3. ISO 9000 Quality Systems   

  • ISO 9000 series structure and content  
  • What ISO 9000 adds to project planning  

4. Capability Maturity Model® for Software   

  • Structure and content of the SW-CMM®   
  • What the SW-CMM® adds to project planning  

5. IEEE/EIA 12207 Software Life Cycle Processes   

  • IEEE/EIA 12207 structure and content  
  • What IEEE/EIA 12207 adds to project planning  

6. SEI's Technology Transition Model (TXM)   

  • Achieving technology change  
  • What the TXM adds to project planning  

7. Models-Based Planning   

  • Activities and data for project planning 
  • Adapting the models for small projects 

8. Summary  
Materials? Students receive copies of the instructor's slides, a copy of The Project Management Memory Jogger, a copy of ANSI/ISO/ASQC Q9001-1994, a copy of IEEE/EIA 12207.0-1996, extensive additional handouts, and an Abelia Corporation Certificate of Completion. All handouts are prepared or packaged by us in compliance with our strict standards for quality.
Who Should Take the Course? This course is designed for software process improvement team members and stakeholders, for software development project managers and team leaders, and for software quality assurance managers and analysts.
Duration? The course takes one day.

    
®CMM and Capability Maturity Model are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.