Changes to Processes and Architectures; Suggested, Implemented and Analyzed from a Project Viewpoint

The end of last century did not only see an enormous increase in the importance of software, but also an increase in competition on the marketplace. Competition is now global and the increase in competition has lead to an ever faster changing environment for software-developing companies, among others. This trend is not likely to fade in a foreseeable future. In order to cope with a changing market, software-developing companies need to be able to change not only their products, but also their development processes. This thesis presents methods based on interviews, scenario techniques and simulations, which help organizations assess current processes and identify needed changes. The focus of these methods has been on increasing the flexibility of processes, to allow rapid adaptation in face of a changing business environment. The thesis also presents a process for managing changes to software product architectures, based on several case studies of architectural changes. These changes do not only have impact on products and technology, but also on the organization and the processes used, a fact that should not be overlooked when performing what is thought to be purely technical changes. Most of the research has been done in case studies of product development projects. This has put focus on supporting personnel in projects, not only empowering an organization as a whole. Software process improvement is a means for organizations to shorten lead-time and increase quality, but people using the processes must feel part of them and receive support from them in order for the improvements to be effective. This issue is analyzed in a study of employees’ expectations on their involvement in software process improvement, and the support they get from development processes. In conclusion, the thesis provides a foundation for an integrated framework of identification, analysis and implementation of architectural and process change.