Center Plan for LaRC Software Process Improvement

1. Center Plan for LaRC Software Process Improvement FY14 Center Plan for LaRC SPII R1V0.ppt

2. Plan Goals • The goals of the Center Plan for LaRC Software Process Improvement are to improve the quality, safety, and reliability of software developed for or by LaRC, to increase the productivity of the developers, and to increase customer satisfaction with LaRC software products. • This will be accomplished by implementing planned Software Process Improvement (SPI) activities to continually advance LaRC software engineering capabilities.

3. Scope and Tactic for Phasing in SPI Scope • This Plan addresses Software Process Improvement (SPI) activities for LaRC organizations with SW management, development, acquisition, assurance, and maintenance. The following slide shows the LaRC organizations with SW management, development, acquisition, assurance, or maintenance. • This Plan is being used by the Software Engineering Process Group (SEPG) at LaRC, to direct SPI activities. Tactic for Phasing in SPI • The Primary Focus of the SPI activities at this time is to bring for the LaRC organizations containing software developers, maintainers, managers, acquirers, and quality engineers into full compliance with LPR 7150.2  LaRC Software Engineering Requirements and its supporting Software LMS Center Procedures. • In the past, the Center has introduce CMMI in phases, beginning with an initially selected organization. On and as requested basis, support for CMMI improvements have been performed. The organizations are assessed against the CMMI to determine their current baseline. Deficiencies are identified, best practices are documented and refined, and improvement activities are performed to eliminate identified deficiencies. When the best practices have been shown to be successfully repeated across multiple projects and all identified deficiencies for the applicable CMMI process areas have been eliminated, an assessment can be performed by an authorized lead appraiser to obtain a CMMI rating.

4. Agency Functions NASA Engineering & Safety Center Ralph R Roe Jr Independent Program Office Mark P Saunders LaRC Organizations Benefiting from SPI – ORGs need updating E4 †‡ † † † E3 †‡ †‡ † † D2 D4 D3 D1 CMMI Compliance †‡ † B1 C2 7-12-08 Orgs with substantial SW management, development, acquisition, assurance, or maintenance † Primary organizations benefiting from past Requirements and Acquisition improvements ‡Organizations containing Class A, B, or C software

5. Ownership of the Plan • The activities documented in this Plan are managed and monitored by the SEPG, under the direction of the Chief Engineers Board in accordance with their charters (see Langley Policy Directive 1150.2). • The NASA Software Engineering Initiative Implementation Plan requires the naming of a “software champion” for the Center, and the Chair of the SEPG is hereby so designated. • The Chief Engineers Board is responsible for providing Plan direction and for supporting its implementation.

6. Schedule • The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and schedule for the Center Plan for LaRC Software Process Improvement is maintained as a separate document by the SEPG • It contains the strategies (the high level WBS elements) and objectives (lower level WBS elements) for, at a minimum, the current fiscal year • It also contains WBS elements for supporting the NASA Software Engineering Initiative • Updates to the Schedule are usually performed in the first quarter of each fiscal year • Updates to the WBS and schedule are done in conjunction with Headquarters/Office of Chief Engineer’s (HQ/OCE) direction • The Center Plan updates are reviewed by HQ/OCE and requested modifications are made by the SEPG • After modifications are complete, the WBS, schedule, and funding allocation spreadsheet are submitted to HQ/OCE for approval • On an as needed basis, detailed schedules of events for individual SPI efforts are developed and maintained separately by the SEPG; status on these schedules is briefed to the Chief Engineers Board and related management • A one page summary of the detailed schedule is in the following slide

7. SEPG Summary Schedule (FY14-16) • The Primary Focus of the SPI activities at this time is to bring for the LaRC organizations containing software developers, maintainers, managers, acquirers, and quality engineers into full compliance with LPR 7150.2  LaRC Software Engineering Requirements and its supporting Software LMS Center Procedures.

8. Tactic for Monitoring Plan • Progress, accomplishments, and status on the plan are briefed by the Chair of the SEPG to Headquarters/Office of Chief Engineer (HQ/OCE) and the Agency/Software Working Group as requested • Status on the plan is also briefed by the Chair of the SEPG to the LaRC Chief Engineers Board approximately as requested, at a minimum annually • Highlights of major Plan accomplishments (e.g. successful CMMI appraisals, successful Headquarters Audits) are submitted to the HQ/OCE Head of the Software Engineering Initiative to include in the monthly brief to the NASA Chief Engineer

9. LaRC Center Training Plan – Part 1 The SEPG training responsibilities • Once notified, through the Software Working Group or NASA Safety Center (NSC), of training class seats available at other NASA Centers: • The class name, vendor, and registration instructions are posted on LaRC SPII home page at (https://sites-e.larc.nasa.gov/sweng/home_pg/) • An article on the @LaRC web site is also posted to give further details • The SEPG also encourages the software Branch managers to submit yearly a list of software engineering training needs to both the SEPG call and the LaRC local training office call • Training requests and CMMI assessment needs sent to the SEPG are prioritized, and target dates are proposed; the requests are submitted to the OCE Training Subgroup Chair as part of a yearly OCE call; the OCE then determines what training and assessment requests HQ will fund for each Center Implementation • When on site LaRC classes are funded (either by the local training office or by OCE or NSC), the SEPG assists the local training office as needed in setting up the training logistics, classroom preparation, class advertisements, coordinating delivery of training materials, etc. • When LaRC CMMI activities (assessments/workshops) are funded by OCE, the organization works directly with the vendor to: develop a schedule of events and participant involvement, schedule rooms, obtain necessary plan signatures, provide briefing materials, etc.; the SEPG chair is invited to the opening and closing briefings as one of the sponsors

10. LaRC Center Training Plan – Part 2 Training Records and Forms • Individual student training records and forms are housed in the NASA SATERN system, which is not maintained by the SEPG • Yearly training and assessment requests submitted to the OCE are provided using the form and format provided by Training Subgroup Chair each year • Records of CMMI assessments are maintained by the organizations Training resource • Because of reductions in OCE Center Plan funding and FTEs, the SEPG has no funding of its own to pay for software classes or CMMI activities • The SEPG relies on HQ/OCE, the local training office, NSC, and APPEL to fund training courses or CMMI activities • Once funded, the SEPG helps coordinate and facilitate the activities Minimum training requirements • Minimum training requirements for software personnel are those required by CMMI • Those training requirements are fulfilled by organization/Process Area Owners mentoring and training on an as needed basis (usually in conjunction with CMMI process area specific improvement efforts) • SEPG 1-on-1 mentoring is also provided (as requested) to projects and Branch Heads Training class availabilities are published through @LaRC announcements and on the SPII web site