In the area of software quality assurance, we focus on the application of process-based quality assurance recommendations and standards, both separately and in an integrated manner. Examples of such recommendations and standards include Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI®), Software Process Improvement and Capability dEtermination (ISO/IEC 15504 – SPICE) and its automotive version, Automotive SPICE®. Our research in this area is mainly focused around CMMI®, which we have mapped to several other standards (e.g. ISO 9001). Several of our trainers have also been involved in CMMI®-based training and auditing for software development companies.
We also test and train software development models that can be applied at a lower level than the organisational level. These include the Team Software Process (TSP®) at the level of software development teams, and the Personal Software Process (PSP®) at the level of individual software developers, which can be used to develop individual and team processes in ways that effectively support the processes of the organisation.
We focus on software measurement. We are working on developing a methodology that will help software development companies to develop cost-effective and productive measurement programmes. The methodology (Stakeholder Driven Software Measurement) derives the relevant information that needs to be produced by measurement from the identification and aggregation of stakeholder “interests”. It helps to identify the narrow set of measurements that is sufficient to produce the information that is needed. Our testing includes the examination of popular measurement methods (e.g. Goal-Question-Metric, Practical Software and Systems Measurement, etc.) and measurement models (e.g. ISO/IEC 9126, ISO/IEC 25000, COSMIC-FFP, etc.).
We teach the most popular methods used for software project management, such as PRINCE2 (PRojects IN Controlled Environments 2) and IDEAL.
We study and teach software testing techniques for functional, non-functional, structural, maintenance testing, static and dynamic testing. We will focus on different implementations of visualization. We have developed a process for inspection that meets the requirements of all popular software process maturity models.
