Statistical process control: analyzing space shuttle onboard software process

Abstract

Demand for increased software process efficiency and effectiveness places measurement demands on the software engineering community beyond those traditionally practiced. Statistical- and process-thinking principles lead to the use of statistical process control (SPC) methods to determine the consistency and capability of the processes used to develop software. The authors use data and analysis from a collaborative effort between the Software Engineering Institute (a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the US Department of Defense) and the Space Shuttle Onboard Software Project as a vehicle to illustrate the analytic processes analysts frequently encounter when using SPC.