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This paper reports from a case study of an organization that implements a software metrics program to measure the effects of its improvement efforts. The program measures key indicators of all completed projects and summarizes progress information in a quarterly management report. The implementation turns out to be long and complex, as the organization is confronted with dilemmas based on contradictory demands and value conflicts. The process is interpreted as a combination of a rational engineering process in which a metrics program is constructed and put into use, and an evolutionary cultivation process in which basic values of the software organization are confronted and transformed. The analysis exemplifies the difficulties and challenges that software organizations face when bringing known principles for software metrics programs into practical use. The article discusses the insights gained from the case in six lessons that may be used by Software Process Improvement managers in implementing a successful metrics program.

This paper reports on action research undertaken to understand and to improve the problems with software processes of a medium-sized Danish company. It is argued that, in order to understand what the specific problems are, we may, on the one hand, rely on normative process models like CMM or Bootstrap. On the other hand, we may also see the specific and unique features of software processes in a company through what we call "problem diagnosis." Problem diagnosis deals with ellciting problems perceived by software professionals and with forming commitment to enable software process improvement to effectively take place. A central purpose of problem diagnosis is to base the SPI project on the software developers' own perceptions of software process problems and suggestions for improvement rather than on the prescriptions and norms of a maturity model

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One of the most popular ways to improve the software development capability in organizations is to embark upon a Software Process Improvement (SPI) program often based on a normative model. Main concerns in such a SPI program includes creating commitment towards SPI, involving all parts of the organization in the SPI program, and creating opportunities for learning. We suggest the use of project assessments to support SPI programs in addressing these and other important concerns. In this paper we present two techniques to perform project assessments. The paper contains actual results from applying the two techniques in two longitudinal SPI projects in Danske Data and L.M. Ericsson Denmark. The techniques have proven to be effective tools to support the SPI process in terms of the three concerns; commitment, participation, and learning.