Creating a Software Engineering Culture

Part III: Improving Your Processes

An organization’s culture is revealed through the processes it uses to build and maintain software. Members of a quality-driven culture recognize the need for continuous improvement in the ways they perform their work. They realize that increases in quality and productivity are achieved through systematic efforts to identify shortcomings and focus energy on high-yield improvement areas. Over time, the organization will accumulate a body of written procedures that represent the best available ways to perform the tasks that the group undertakes.

All members of the organization need to be involved in the assessment and improvement activities. This involvement promotes buy-in to the cultural commitment to continuous ...