Empirical Studies of Software Process Assessment Methods

There are now many methods for assessing the maturity and capabilities of software engineering organizations. Assessment scores are being used in making the contract award decision by the U.S. Navy [Ru93] and Air Force [SK95], as well as in commercial organizations [MC96]. Furthermore, conformance to process standards such as ISO 9001, as determined during an audit, is a necessity for doing business in many European countries. Software process assessments are also an essential element of the self-improvement cycle for many organizations (e.g., see[Ba96][Dy95]).