Quality Improvement Paradigm QIP

The quality improvement paradigm (QIP) is a quality approach that emphasizes continuous improvement by learning from experience both in a project and in an organization (Basili et al, 1994). This learning from experience is built on experimentation and application of measurement. Each new development project is regarded as an experiment and available results of every foregoing and ongoing experiment should be packaged and reused, too.

This reuse is applicable to experience on, for example, processes, products, problems, methods and resources. All the available information should therefore be packaged and reused on both project and corporate level to improve current and future performance.

1. Characterize

6. Package2. Set Goals

5. Analyze3. Chose Process

4. Execute

Figure QIP cyclic approach (Basili et al. 1994)

QIP identifies a six step cyclic approach, which is based on the plan-do-check-act approach of Shewart/Demming (Basili et al, 1994). The QIP cycle consists of the following six steps:

  1. Characterize. Understand the environment based upon available models, data, intuition, etc. Establish baselines with the existing business processes in the organization and characterize their criticality.
  2. SetGoals. On the basis of the initial characterization and the capabilities that have astrategic relevance to the organization, set quantifiable goals for successful project and organization performance and improvement. The reasonable expectations are defined based upon the baseline provided by the characterization step.
  3. ChooseProcess. On the basis of the characterization of the environment and of the goals that have been set, choose the appropriate processes for improvement and supporting methods and tools, making sure that they are consistent with the goals that have been set.
  4. Execute. Perform the processes constructing the products and providing project feedback upon the data on goal achievement that are being collected.
  5. Analyze. At the end of each specific project, analyze the data and the information gathered to evaluate the current practices, determine problems, record findings, and make recommendations for future project improvements.
  6. Package. Consolidate the experience gained in the form of new, or updated and refined models and other forms of structured knowledge gained from this and prior projects and save it in an experience base to be reused on future projects.

Once the experience has been packaged during the last step, a new cycle is initiated toward further improvements and additional experience and knowledge. This emphasizes the continuous character of QIP. The quality improvement paradigm implements two feedback cycles:

  1. Projectfeedbackcycle. This control cycle provides the project with feedback during project execution. Resources should be used as effectively and efficiently as possible by the project and quantitative information is used to prevent and correct problems.
  2. Corporatefeedbackcycle. The corporate feedback cycle provides knowledge to the complete organization, by comparing the project data with the nominal ranges in the organization and analyzing concordance and discrepancy. This experience is accumulated and, based on analysis, can be reused to improve performance of future projects.

Within QIP, software measurement is considered an indispensable component to capture experiences and retrieve knowledge on development activities. To collect the information on software development in an organization, software measurement should be integrated in the software development process. A feedback process should exist in order to establish a continuous learning process in the organization. QIP suggests the GQM method as the measurement mechanism to define and evaluate the improvement goals of QIP.