Software Development Process Improvement using FLOSS tools

Summary

How software project managers and team leaders can use Open Source tools to measure their
delivery and find low hanging fruit for improvement.

Description:

Too many software teams across the industry, large and small, lack consistent processes or a way to identify how to improve their current processes. Their customers are demanding faster delivery and better quality, but not allowing them them the space or time to make the needed improvements. Software vendors sell expensive product and service based solutions; however for teams starting on the process improvement journey with limited resources a great deal can be achieved internally, simply and cheaply, with Open Source

This paper looks at the problem and some simple metrics to help identify where the greatest improvements can be made. A generic approach is used based on the use of a ticket system; and an example implementation, with reports, will be shown using the Fossil SCM tool (http://www.fossil-scm.org/).

Specific issues to be covered include:

* Background
* Improvement objectives
* Suitable metrics
* Compliance and transparency issues
* Issues and problems around process improvement in the team and organisation
* Process and information requirements
* The role of ticket based processes in the wider software development environment (Build, Version Control, Requirements, Deployment)
* Tool selection

Target audience: Project Managers and Team Leaders in start-up and low resource environments who need some quick wins. Developers who wish to the understand some of the wider issues in professional software development. FLOSS developers who want to understand the requirements for useful ticket applications

The talk is being developed and published at http://chiselapp.com/user/alecthegeek/repository/swprocessimprovement/