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Software process performance analysis is a challenge for software organizations that aim to achieve higher levels of maturity models and quality standards, as it usually depends on knowledge of quantitative and statistical techniques, and experience with software processes and in the organizational context. This paper presents a knowledge-based environment proposed for supporting software organizations during the execution of process performance analysis. This environment aims to provide a body of knowledge and a set of activities and tasks for software process performance, which will be executed based on rules that guide the user during the execution of this analysis. The initial body of knowledge of this environment was collected and the set of activities and tasks was identified. The environment tools and their communication are also shown in this paper.Keywords-software process quality; software process performance analysis; high maturity; knowledge management; knowledge-based system

This chapter builds on the discussions in Chapter 4 about the bridging between organization design (design as a noun) and organization designing (design as a verb). Based on the key precepts of Giddens’ (1984) social theory, it is argued that the traditional notion of organizational structure can be split into the concepts of structure and structuration and that while ‘structure’ is relatively stable, ‘structuration’ is ever changing. This allows us to talk of ‘interactive structure’ as a type of structure that changes with interaction and where the emphasis is on the monitoring of interactions between human and non-human actors, by means of multiple types of traces. Thus, rather than controlling people, with interactive structure, organizations are better able to deal with the disconnect between the formal and the informal sides of organization and take full advantage of the organizational capital to be found in one of the key characteristics of informal organization, i.e. improvisation.

Background: Process performance analysis is a key step for implementing continuous improvement in software organizations. However, the knowledge to execute such analysis is not trivial and the person responsible to executing it must be provided with appropriate support. Aim: This paper presents a knowledge-based environment, named SPEAKER, proposed for supporting software organizations during the execution of process performance analysis. SPEAKER comprises a body of knowledge and a set of activities and tasks for software process performance analysis along with supporting tools to executing these activities and tasks. Method: We conducted an informal literature reviews and a systematic mapping study, which provided basic requirements for the proposed environment. We implemented the SPEAKER environment integrating supporting tools for the execution of activities and tasks of performance analysis and the knowledge necessary to execute them, in order to meet the variability presented by the characteristics of these activities. Results: In this paper, we describe each SPEAKER module and the individual evaluations of these modules, and also present an example of use comprising how the environment can guide the user through a specific performance analysis activity. Conclusion: Although we only conducted individual evaluations of SPEAKER’s modules, the example of use indicates the feasibility of the proposed environment. Therefore, the environment as a whole will be further evaluated to verify if it attains its goal of assisting in the execution of process performance analysis by non-specialist people.

As organizações de software devem continuamente melhorar a forma de desenvolver software de modo que seus produtos finais atendam à qualidade esperada por seus clientes. Um dos mecanismos para apoiar o alcance desse objetivo é a análise de desempenho. A execução da análise de desempenho, entretanto, não é uma tarefa trivial e demanda conhecimento de diversos métodos e técnicas. O objetivo este artigo é prover processos que apoiem as organizações de software na execução das atividades de análise de desempenho por meio da definição de linhas de processo de software e componentes de rocesso que encapsulem conhecimento sobre as atividades, métodos e técnicas para análise de desempenho de processos e, também, uma ferramenta para instanciar e executar o processo de análise de desempenho em organizações de software.