SPICE (Software Process Improvement and Capability Determination) is used in conjunction with the standard ISO/IEC 12207 (which is the process reference model) to evaluate and improve the capability and maturity of software development and maintenance processes.
Spice is also known as ISO/IEC 15504 information technology, an international standard for software process assessment used in process improvement and process capability determination.
ISO/IEC 15504 contains a reference model, which defines a process dimension and a capability dimension. The process dimension defines processes divided into the five process categories of:
- Customer-supplier
- Engineering
- Supporting
- Management
- Organization
The SPICE standard has had three principal goals since its introduction:
- To develop a working draft for a standard for software process assessment
- To conduct industry trials of the emerging standard
- To promote the technology transfer of software process assessment into the software industry worldwide
SPICE for suppliers provides an ability to determine the current and potential capability of their own software processes as well as provide an ability to define areas and priorities for software process improvement.
The SPICE standard also acts as a framework that defines a road map for software process improvement.
For assessors, SPICE can be a framework that defines all aspects of conducting assessments in various contexts. Before using SPICE, organizations must first define the key determinant of why SPICE is needed. Generally, there are three choices:
- To understand the software process used
- To support process improvement
- To support process capability determination
The SPICE standard also provides guidance used in software assessment for process improvement. However, the guidance provided by this document does not presume specific organizational structures, management philosophies, software life cycle models or software development methods.
Want to learn more? Tonex offers Automotive SPICE Training | ISO/IEC 15504, a 3-day course where participants learn about Automotive SPICE and five parts of ISO 15504.
Participants also learn to illustrate use of software process assessment as well as implement procedures for conduction 15504-conformant assessments.
Automotive SPICE training is designed for software engineers, quality managers, project managers and other practitioners interested in software process improvement.
For more information, questions, comments, contact us.