Good resources for example process definitions of software development methodologies?

Question

Is there any website specifically for sharing and accessing actual software development processes implemented in software organizations?

There are lots of resources that give advices and descriptions for implementing these processes. They are very useful. But I think having actual example process definitions would be very useful as well. Specifically, I am now looking for an example process definition in CMMI. I overviewed several books but none of them presents any specific example implementation.

I think the authors are probably concerned that the readers might just copy these process definitions without understanding specific customization decisions in them. They are very rightful in this concern. But anyway, I think this is an important need for general software community. Understanding and interpreting an example document properly should be the responsibility of the reader.

If you don't know any good resource that shares specific implementations of the processes, what do you think about this need? Don't you think that we, software engineers and developers, should share our process definitions as we share our code?

Answer 1

I do not know of such a "process repository". I only see general description like this one.

Note: While the CMMI implementations I have come across are quite tailored for a specific enterprise/environment, I found them truly effective when evaluated/challenged.

In that regard, the study Six Sigma and CMMI interesting, not so much as a practical example of CMM, but rather as a way to put CMM in perspective.

Answer 2

There is a good wikipedia article with a lot of resources. Also searching for "UCM Workflows" on IBM Rational web would lead to good examples, I'd rather not deep link into their page. The question is how far into detail you want to go into the process. Most resources available will only give you a rough overview of basic development processes.

What you mean by examples is probably going into the details of specific implementation of such development process. For larger and established software development companies their development process will most likely not be readily reusable, because it will involve many custom made tools and configurations and the process itself could be in some cases considered proprietary, giving the company a competitive edge over others. Going into details about the process could also pose a security risk, because it would reveal a lot about the company infrastructure. So I don't think you would find much in form of examples from successful software development companies and what you find is either too general or written by theory-crafters.

This is a field of special interest for me for almost a decade now and I only ever found bits and pieces published about specific processes used by major software corporations. I would certainly welcome a forum to share experience with other professionals in this field.

Answer 3

Try looking at EPFC - Eclipse Process Composing Framework, there are some example processes, tools and best practices to develop them.

Answer 4

There are merits in providing some sample templates which would assist someone getting started. The limitation is that it could force the user to adopt the templates without thinking about the application.

Most methodologies adopt a 'guideline' approach with some tailoring. For example, the RUP system, promoted by Rational (now IBM) traditionally suffered from the assumption that it was only applicable to large scale projects. This prompted discussion on how RUP can be applied to a one person project. Of course it takes work and effort and if you are a small project team sometimes tailoring the methodology could overshadow the project; i.e are you trying to build a methodology or a product ?

As for samples some examples are:

Agile Unified Process - gives good examples of both process, artifacts and also commentary on the process and it's application,

Open Unified Process - again samples, artifacts and easily navigated system.

Answer 5

The OPEN Process Framework Repository Organization's web site contains an online repository with over 1,100 method components.

It doesn't contain final methods because, according to method engineering precepts, you must compose your methods from these components depending on your product, project and organisational needs.