Applying Value-Based Software Process: An ERP Example

Commercial organizations increasingly need software processes sensitive to business value, quick to apply, supportive of multi-stakeholder collaboration, and capable of early analysis for subprocess consistency and compatibility. This paper presents experience in applying a lightweight synthesis of a Value-Based Software Quality Achievement process and an Object-Petri-Net-based process model to achieve a stakeholder win-win outcome for software quality achievement in an on-going ERP software project in China. The application results confirmed that 1) the application of value-based approaches was inherently better than value-neutral approaches adopted by most ERP software projects; 2) the Object-Petri-Net-based process model provided project managers with a synchronization and stabilization framework for process activities, success-critical stakeholders and their value propositions; 3) process visualization and simulation tools significantly increased management visibility and controllability for the success of the software project.