Deploying a Software Process Lifecycle Standard in Very Small Companies

Problems with Standards

Although commercial SPI models have been highly publicized, they are not being widely adopted and their influence in the software industry therefore remains more at a theoretical than practical level (O'Connor & Coleman, 2009). For example, in the case of CMMI, an Australian study found that small organizations considered that adopting CMMI would be infeasible (Staples et al., 2007) and an Irish study found significant resistance due to negative perceptions surrounding levels of bureaucracy and required documentation (Coleman & O’Connor, 2006). Further investigation of the SEI CMMI by Staples and Niazi (2006) discovered, after systematically reviewing 600 papers, that there has been little published evidence about those organizations who have decided not to adopt CMMI.

There is evidence that the majority of small and very small software organizations are not adopting existing standards / proven best practice models because they perceive the standards as being developed by large organizations and orientated towards large organizations, thus provoking the debate the in terms of number of employees, size does actually matter (O'Connor & Coleman, 2008a). Studies have shown that small firms’ negative perceptions of process model standards are primarily driven by negative views of cost, documentation and bureaucracy. In addition, it has been reported that SMEs find it difficult to relate standards to their business needs and to justify the application of the international standards in their operations. Most SMEs cannot afford the resources for, or see a net benefit in, establishing software processes as defined by current standards and maturity models (O'Connor & Coleman, 2008b).