GQM+Strategies and IDEAL: A Combination of Approaches to Achieve Continuous SPI

GQM+Strategies is an approach that aligns the business goals at each level of an organization to strategies and assesses the achievement of goals. The IDEAL model is an organizational improvement model. In this paper, we present our experiences applying the IDEAL model and GQM+Strategies to conduct continuous software process improvement (SPI) and establish a measurement program in a large multi-industry state-owned company. Our goal is to provide evidence of the use of these methods and models in such complex scenarios. The motivation for this paper was the lack of “from the trenches” perspectives on SPI in this kind of contexts. The main challenges faced during the experiences reported in this paper include: rigid control structures used to manage and monitor IT investment, inadequate or incomplete use of other measurement methods, and lack of continuous improvement culture (due to many years in a monopolistic industry). Moreover, we present ways in which we combined GQM+Strategies and the IDEAL model to deploy a continuous process improvement program in a context of limited resources and serious business threats, and to convince the company employees of the need for process improvement.