Supporting Audits and Assessments in Multi-model Environments

Software development organizations are adopting multiple improvement technologies to guide improvement efforts. A recent trend is the simultaneous adoption of CMMI and ISO models into a single environment originating multi-model process solutions. Some of these models address similar areas of concern and share similar quality goals. Reusing organizational implemented practices is an opportunity to establishing compliance with multiple models and reduce implementation costs.

Audits and assessments can take advantage of practices reuse if information characterizing similarities between quality goals of different models is maintained. This paper proposes a conceptual model to support management of quality goals information in support of multi-model audits and assessments. An example is described of applying the proposed model in supporting the generation of data collection checklists to perform, in a single effort, a multi-model audit process. The conceptual model is being applied in a Portuguese software house with a multi-model process solution compliant with several improvement technologies.