Global Software Competitiveness Assessment Program

Don O'Neill
Independent Consultant
(301) 990-0377
ONeillDon@aol.com

Global Software Competitiveness
Assessment Program

Featuring:

Software Competitiveness Database
Manufacturing Product Lines
Software-Based Value Points
Leading Software Indicators
Quick Look Instruments
Probe Instruments

BACKGROUND
In November 1995 the National Software Council convened a Software Summit and identified the software issues most critical to the nation. It commissioned the studies needed to obtain a profound understanding of each issue and is now launching the national initiatives needed to address them.

The National Software Council has shown an interest in the Global Software Competitiveness Assessment Program. It understands the necessity to increase awareness within society and understanding among policy makers on the value of software in achieving US prosperity, both its opportunities and benefits as well as its risks and difficulties. It is first necessary to obtain a better understanding of the pervasive influence of software on modern life.

Accordingly, the National Software Council is launching a program to improve the understanding of the value add of software to the national economy. This program will provide timely, accurate, complete, and understandable information on software and its essential uses. These findings will be packaged for use with diverse audiences ranging from the general public to the nation's policy makers.

The Global Software Competitiveness Assessment Program promotes an understanding of the value of software in achieving global competitiveness for US industry of all kinds and accomplishes this by systematically assessing the degree to which an industry, enterprise, or product line is achieving global software competitiveness.

DESCRIPTION
Global Competitiveness
The Global Software Competitiveness Assessment Program is designed to assist corporations in pinpointing the strengths and weaknesses in the software competitiveness of their product lines. It accomplishes this through the application of well designed instruments based on the leading indicators of global software competitiveness, a global software competitiveness database, and site visits. Leading software indicators are defined and industry specific Value Points are identified where software is essential in the competitiveness of the enterprise. The software-based Value Points are like critical pieces of a jigsaw puzzle where the frame and underlying scene are product line processes.

In assessing the competitiveness of the enterprise, it is necessary to know what the enterprise needs most and what the enterprise dependency on software is. This is accomplished by identifying the software-based Value Points in the processes of the product line that are essential in achieving requisite variety in the product, high differentiation from the competition, and integration among processes. For each software-based Value Point, the capability of the enterprise to deliver Economic Value Add is assessed. This assessment entails understanding current practice and measuring its critical aspects especially those improvements needed to achieve reduced time to market, reduced cost to produce, increased product quality, and increased customer and user satisfaction. The leading software indicators employed in the Global Software Competitiveness Assessment are software process maturity, resource capacity, commitment management, predictability in cost and schedule management and performance, conformance to requirements, change management, defect detection, defect leakage, defect prevention, traceability of the software to the requirements and business case, and customer and user satisfaction.

The product line is the focus of the Global Software Competitiveness Assessment. The product line may be composed of processes of various kinds. Some of these processes may include embedded software. Each instance of embedded software operating within a process of a product line is identified as a Value Point. Value Points deliver benefits of various types. One software-based Value Point may provide the means to achieve the requisite variety in product features needed to appeal to very specific market niches. Another may increase the uniformity and reduce the variation in units produced. Still others may facilitate the integration among processes and reduce the time to market.

The competitiveness assessment of each software-based Value Point results in a clear identification of strengths and weaknesses. These findings and their consequences become the agenda for improving the global software competitiveness of the enterprise. The most promising changes to current practice are selected, a plan for lasting improvement is constructed, and the commitments needed to carry it out are made.

Program Operation
The Global Software Competitiveness Program is organized into preparation, conduct, and followup activities. The preparation activity is a one day site visit composed of an introduction to the program and an overview of the method, selection of product lines and identification of software-based Value Points, the application of the Enterprise Quick Look Instrument, and instructions on completing the Product Line Quick Look Instrument for each product line. The conduct activity is a five day site visit to assess the competitiveness of up to three product lines and their Value Points, brief the findings and their consequences, identify special studies, and plan the followup session. The followup activity is a one day site visit to review recommendations, select the most promising changes, and initiate the planning and commitment for lasting improvement.

Assessment Instruments
The Global Software Competitiveness Assessment is conducted on the Value Point. There are three types of assessment instrument, the Enterprise Quick Look, the Product Line Quick Look, and the Value Point Probe. The Quick Look Instruments are used to identify overall strengths and weaknesses. The Probe Instruments are applied selectively to pinpoint weaknesses.

The Enterprise Quick Look Instrument is organized around enterprise competitiveness, business environment, software commitments in place, and the leading software indicators that characterize best organizational software practice. Goals and commitments focus first on the state of competitiveness itself and then on the ability to improve. The leading software indicators identify the strongly preferred and best software practices in various tracks including operations, management, engineering, process, product, human resources, business, and strategic planning.

The Product Line Quick Look Instrument is organized around the model for project success where product line goals and prescriptions for success propel the project towards success while commonly encountered problems anchor the project in failure.

Value Point Probe Instruments are applied where improvements are suggested and weaknesses are identified. The purpose of the probe is to pinpoint precisely what improvements in current practice are needed to raise the competitiveness of the product line and its Value Points.

Results
A competitiveness assessment may produce a range of results. The assessment of a Value Point may reveal that the Value Point is not competitive. The assessment may reveal that the commitments to achieve competitiveness goals are not in place and lead directly to a shortfall in performance. On the other hand, the assessment may reveal that the commitments are well established, but that the current software practice is not competitive and needs improvement. The assessment may indicate that the Value Point is competitive in all respects including goals and commitments as well as the current practice as depicted by the leading software indicators of best practice.

Global Database
As software competitiveness assessments are conducted in manufacturing product lines of various types, the accumulating results comprise the Global Database of Software Competitiveness. These results will promote an understanding of the value of software in achieving global competitiveness for the enterprise, the industry, and the nation and will provide valuable insights pinpointed to the product line, value point, and leading software indicator.

The Global Database of Software Competitiveness has the potential for becoming a valuable national resource whose existence will promote a strategic advantage for the nation and whose use will enable an enterprise to distinguish itself from the competition.

Assessment Report
An assessment report is prepared following the five-day site visit. This report includes appropriate graphics on the Enterprise Quick Look Instrument and the Product Line Quick Look Instruments. The strengths and measured shortfall in goal achievement and capability readiness is reported. Fine grained strengths and weaknesses are identified, and weakness are assigned to improvement tracks, track sponsors are identified, and value statements are prepared for the most promising changes.

Next Steps
The recommendations for next steps depend on the findings and their consequences as well as the commitment of the enterprise to raising its ability to improve software to a core competence in order to achieve a globally competitive software advantage. A defined program for planning, directing, and sustaining lasting improvement is outlined. This defined program will guide the software capability of an organization's product line towards the industry best practice.

OBJECTIVES
The objectives for the Global Software Competitiveness Assessment Program are to:
1. Propel software to the forefront of the enterprise agenda
2. Change the way software is viewed by decision makers
3. Raise the ability of the enterprise to improve software to a core competence
4. Raise the competitiveness of software value points embedded in product lines
5. Assess enterprise software capability to deliver Economic Value Add

WHO SHOULD PARTICIPATE
Software dependent enterprises committed to raising their ability to improve to a core competence in order to increase the competitiveness of their products and services.

COMPETITIVENESS ASSESSMENT SITE VISITS DESCRIPTIONS
The Global Software Competitiveness Assessment Program provides the means to assess the global competitiveness of software operations embedded within the product lines of an enterprise. The program is composed of these site visits and an assessment report.

Preparation: One Day Site Visit
The purpose of the one-day preparation site visit is to learn what the customer needs most. The objectives of the preparation site visit are to overview the need for national software focus, promote an understanding of software value add, select product lines and identify their software-based value points, apply the Enterprise Quick Look Instrument, and introduce the Product Line Quick Look Series of Instruments. These objectives are carried out through lectures, discussion, exercises, and hands-on working sessions.

Conduct: Five Day Site Visit
The purpose of the five-day assessment conduct site visit is to understand current practice, measure its critical aspects, select the most promising changes, and initiate planning for lasting improvement. The objectives of the conduct site visit are to compile and score the Product Line Quick Look Instruments for each Product Line, to pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses, and to select and apply Value Point Probe Instruments to obtain the deepest possible understanding of weaknesses, and plan the followup site visit. These objectives are carried out through hands-on working sessions, discussions on findings and consequences, presentations and feedback, and planning.
Day 1: Assessment Lab
Day 2: Improvement Lab
Day 3: Product Line Interviews
Day 4: Recap Lab Results
Day 5: Management Meeting on Lab Results

Followup: One Day Site Visit
The purpose of the one-day post-assessment followup visit is to obtain commitment to the plan for lasting improvement. The objective of the followup site visit is to review the findings and their consequences, to review the recommendations and accompanying rationale, to select the most promising changes, and to initiate planning for lasting improvement.

Assessment Report
An assessment report is prepared following the five-day site visit. This report includes appropriate graphics on the Enterprise Quick Look Instrument and the Product Line Quick Look Instruments. The strengths and measured shortfall in goal achievement and capability readiness is reported. Fine grained strengths and weaknesses are identified, and weaknesses are assigned to improvement tracks, track sponsors are identified, and value statements are prepared for the most promising changes.

COMPETITIVENESS ASSESSMENT SITE VISIT AGENDA

Preparation: One Day

Introduction
The Need for National Software Focus
Exercise: Assessing Strategic Software Management
Software Value Add
Global Software Competitiveness Assessment Program
Global Software Competitiveness Risk Management
Administer Enterprise Quick Look Instruments
Introduce Product Line Quick Look Instruments

Conduct: Five Day

Day 1: Assessment Lab
Accurately and realistically identify strengths and weaknesses in Product Line software capability and project performance

Day 2: Improvement Lab
Acknowledge weaknesses, identify improvement tracks and sponsors, select the most promising changes, and outline improvement action plans

Day 3: Product Line Interviews
Conduct interviews with Product Line and Value Point managers and practitioners

Day 4: Recap Lab Results
Recap the assessment lab findings and consequences and the improvement lab recommendations and rationale for each Product Line

Day 5: Management Meeting on Lab Results Review assessment and improvement results with Enterprise and Product Line management

Post Assessment Followup: One Day

Finalize Findings and Consequences
Finalize Recommendations and Rational
Select the Most Promising Changes
Plan for Lasting Improvement

SPONSORED BY THE NATIONAL SOFTWARE COUNCIL
To meet the national goal for economic prosperity, the best capabilities of the nation must be aligned. The prosperity of the nation is increasingly dependent on software. Global competitiveness, industrial security, and professional infrastructure of the software industry are becoming the leading indicators of national prosperity.

The prosperity of the nation is tied to the well being of the software industry. While the competitiveness of the US industrial base is strongly and increasingly linked to software, the global competitiveness of US software dependent enterprise may be deteriorating.

The Global Software Competitiveness Assessment Program is sponsored by the National Software Council in conjunction with the Software Value Add Study to obtain the profound understanding of software competitiveness needed to propel software to the forefront of the national agenda.

Program Director: Don O'Neill
Don O'Neill is a seasoned software engineering manager and technologist currently serving as an independent consultant. Following his twenty-seven year career with IBM's Federal Systems Division, Mr. O'Neill completed a three year residency at Carnegie Mellon University"s Software Engineering Institute (SEI) under IBM's Technical Academic Career Program. There he developed a blueprint for charting software engineering evolution in the organization including the training architecture and change management strategy needed to transition skills into practice.

As an independent consultant, Mr. O'Neill conducts defined programs for managing strategic software improvement. These include implementing an organizational Software Inspections Process, directing the National Software Quality Experiment, implementing Software Risk Management on the project, conducting the Project Suite Key Process Area Defined Program, and conducting Global Software Competitiveness Assessments. Each of these programs includes the necessary practitioner and management training.

In his IBM career, Mr. O'Neill completed assignments in management, technical performance, and marketing in a broad range of applications including space systems, submarine systems, military command and control systems, communications systems, and management decision support systems. He was awarded IBM�s Outstanding Contribution Award three times:
1. Software Development Manager for the Global Positioning (GPS) Ground Segment (500,000 source lines of code) and a team of 70 software engineers within a $150M fixed price program.
2. Manager of the FSD Software Engineering Department responsible for the origination of division software engineering strategies, the preparation of software management and engineering practices, and the coordination of these practices throughout the division�s software practitioners and managers.
3. Manager of Data Processing for the Trident Submarine Command and Control System Engineering and Integration Project responsible for architecture selections and software development planning (1.2M source lines of code).

Mr. O'Neill served on the Executive Board of the IEEE Software Engineering Technical Committee and as a Distinguished Visitor of the IEEE. He is a founding member of the Washington DC Software Process Improvement Network (SPIN) and the National Software Council (NSC) and serves as the Executive Vice President of the Center for National Software Studies (CNSS). He is an active speaker on software engineering topics and has served as the Program Chairman and Program Committee member for several conferences. He has numerous publications to his credit. Mr. O'Neill has a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

CONTACT
For questions on course content, schedule availability, and delivery options, please contact:
Don O'Neill, 9305 Kobe Way, Montgomery Village, Maryland 20886
Telephone: (301) 990-0377 Fax: (301) 670-0234
Email: ONeillDon@aol.com

Let me know what you think about my page. Send mail by clicking here.

Return to Don O'Neill Home Page