Using ISO 15504 Compliant Assessment Combined with Goal-oriented Measurement for Process Improvement at Dräger Medical Technology

Software Process Assessment techniques are extensively used in software industry in order to determine the processes capability and to start process improvement activities. In this paper, we are showing how an ISO 15504 compliant assessment method can be used to detect weaknesses in the software development process and how the suggested changes can be used as the basis for a process improvement program. The effect of implemented process changes is monitored and controlled by an accompanying measurement program according to the GQM paradigm. The presented approach has been applied in an industrial project at Dräger Medical Technology. Costs in terms of effort needed to start and implement the improvement activities and benefits in form of a higher maturity of changed processes are presented in order to show the successfulness of the approach.