This document discusses Software Process Improvement and Capability Determination (SPICE). SPICE is an international standard for software process assessments that identifies best practices and provides an improvement path. The Automotive SPICE model was developed for the automotive industry. SPICE assessments evaluate organizations across two dimensions - processes and capability levels. This helps identify strengths, weaknesses, and targets for improvement. The assessment data can then be used to plan process improvements and increase an organization's software development capabilities.

1. SOFTWARE QUALITY ASSURANCE
SOFTWARE PROCESS
IMPROVEMENT AND
CAPABILITY DETERMINATION
Seminar: Oana FEIDI
Quality Manager – Continental Automotive

3. WHAT IS SPICE?
 SPICE – Software Process Improvement & Capability
dEtermination
 also known as ISO/IEC 15504 is an international standard
for SW process assessments
 a model that identifies a set of software best practices and
shows how they fit together to create an improvement path
for the software development process
 Mainly used in Europe and Australia by the automotive
industry
 Goal
 To provide assessment results that are repeatable,
objective, comparable

4. AUTOMOTIVE SPICE
 Automotive SPICE launched in April 2006
 its usage will increase mainly driven by HIS (Audi, BMW,
Daimler Chrysler, Porsche, Volkswagen), Ford & Volvo, Fiat
 If OEM’s target levels are not met, then:
 Suppliers are requested to improve the development processes
 In case of high risks/low capability levels, the suppliers are
excluded from sourcing
 (me) structure the way of working
 (me) identify the main weakness within the development
process and build improvement activities
 (me) “link” between inputs & outputs

5. THE GOAL OF PROCESS ASSESSMENT
& IMPROVEMENT
Rating
Process Assessment
Improvement
 The goal of an improvement is to change an organization’s
processes so that they achieve a higher ability to meet its
businesses goals
 Assessments deliver the input for any improvement by
detecting strength and weaknesses in the organizations
processes
 Assessments are also a tool used by customers to ascertain the
ability of their suppliers to meet their needs

6. SPICE STRUCTURE
The measure of the capability is done according to the two-
dimensional evaluations scheme of ISO 15504 (SPICE/
Automotive SPICE®):
Process Dimension Capability Dimension Two-dimensional
(Automotive SPICE®) (ISO 15504 'SPICE') Evaluations Scheme
It is possible to identify the
capability of certain processes
Includes processes in groups independent of the others

7. SPICE MODEL’S STRUCTURE
 Process dimension
 Characterized by set of purpose statements which describe in
measurable terms what has to be achieved in order to attain
the defined purpose of the process
 Process Capability dimension
 Characterizes the level of capability that an organization unit
has attained for a particular process or,
 May be used by the organization as a target to be attained
 Represent measurable characteristics necessary to manage a
process and improve its capability to perform

8. PROCESS OVERVIEW AND HIS-
SCOPE

9. PROCESS STRUCTURE

10. CAPABILITY DIMENSION

11. CAPABILITY LEVEL 1 & 2
Level 1 Level 2
 The purpose of the process  The performance of the
process is planned and
is generally achieved checked
 Work products proof  The responsibility for
developing the work products
implementation of base is assigned to a person or
practices team
 No documented process  Requirements for the work
products are identified,
 No planning or checks of documented and traced
performance of the process  Work products are put under
configuration management
 No quality requirements and quality assurance
for work product are  No documented or defined
expressed process

12. CAPABILITY LEVEL 3
 A documented standard process with tailoring guidelines
exists and is used in the project
 Historical process performance data is gathered
 Experience from the performance of the process is used for
process improvement
 Resources and needed infrastructure for the performance
of the process are identified and made available
 The process is not yet quantitatively understood or
managed
 Process improvement is reactive

13. PROCESS DIMENSION OVERVIEW
 Primary Life Cycle Processes Category
 Acquisition
 Supply
 Engineering: ENG.4 (Software requirements analysis), ENG.5
(Software design), ENG.6 (Software construction), ENG.7
(Software integration), ENG.8 (Software testing)
 Supporting Life Cycle Processes Category
 Support: SUP.1 (Quality assurance), SUP.2 (Verification),
SUP.8 (Configuration management), SUP.10 (Change request
management)
 Organizational Life Cycle Process Category
 Management: MAN.3 (Project Management), MAN.5 (Risk
Management)
 Process Improvement: PIM.3 (Process Improvement)
 Reuse: REU.2 (Reuse program management)

14. PROCESS ATTRIBUTES

15. MEASURE CAPABILITY LEVELS
 The fulfillment of a process attribute (PA) is
measured along a scale from 0 – 100% in the
following predefined stages:
 N (not achieved): 0 – 15%
 The are no or only very limited indications of PA fulfillment
 P (partially achieved): 16 – 50%
 There are some indicators that the PA is implemented to the
measured extent. In some aspects the process remains
unpredictable, though.
 L (largely achieved): 51 – 85%
 There is evidence that the PA is implemented to the measured
extend in a useful and systematic way. Process performance
might still show some weaknesses
 F (fully achieved): 86 – 100%
 There is evidence for a complete and systematic PA execution to
the measured extent. Process performance does not show any
significant shortcomings due to the analyzed processes

16. SPICE ASSESSMENTS
Assessment input:
• purpose Assessment instrument
• scope • process indicators
• constraints • process management indicators
• qualified assessor
• extended process definition
Process
Planning Data collection Data analysis Process rating REPORT
Assessment
Assessment output
• process capability level ratings
Process model • assessment record
• process purpose
• practices

17. TEST SPICE
http://www.pr-partner-koeln.de/media/downloads/sqs_te_testingexperience_0409_5796.pdf

20. DEBATE
 Let’s rate the base practices for ENG.8 (Software
testing) in your organization