It is the ISO 15504 software process evaluation system standard, which has been prepared for the improvement of the software stage and the determination of talents and capabilities. This standard aims at self-certification. At the same time, the standard aims to improve the quality of software work. Therefore, these studies are considered as the engine of the technical department and are used for certification. Generally speaking, certification studies are conducted abroad. That is, if European countries are included;
- Japan
- Brazil
- Australia
widely practiced in their countries.
TSE and ISO 15504 Standard
In 2010, ISO 15504 (SPICE) certificate was given to a technology company for the first time by TSE (Turkish Standards Association). TSE (Turkish Standards Association) cooperates with a team of experts with international auditor certificates, and on the other hand, it fulfills the biggest and most important task of increasing the quality of software in our country by providing training and certification research.
ISO 15504 standard certification studies are mainly carried out in the field of software, and certification studies are also carried out in different fields such as automobile, aviation, medicine and service management.
ISO 15504 Software Process Evaluation
The process defined by the ISO 15504 software process evaluation system is as follows:
- Software purchase
- Software development
- Operating procedures
- Maintenance and support process
- Planning
- overcome
- Finalize
- Reviewing and improving the process
That's why the purpose of creating ISO 15504 is to improve the company's software quality.
What are the Documents Required for ISO 15504?
Today's competitive conditions are driving the efforts of companies. While companies are trying to survive in the market, it is not easy to fight foreign competitors caused by the global environment. The firm must be one step ahead of its competitors. If they can't do that, it will be difficult for them to hold on to the market. Therefore, it must provide high-quality services and operate in accordance with globally accepted standards.
Recognizing these needs, the International Standards Organization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) developed the ISO 15504 software process evaluation system standard in 1995. These standards are mainly used by software development companies to improve the software development process. It also allows the evaluation of the effectiveness of the processes implemented by the software development company.
Process Evaluation in ISO 15504 Software
The ISO 15504 software process evaluation system mainly includes project planning and project management processes, software development processes and organizational processes in the software development process. All stages of software research in the production and use process are called the software development life cycle. The key steps involved in this cycle are:
- Analysis,
- Design,
- Application,
- Test
- Care
These stages are also in a continuous cycle because needs are constantly changing and evolving. There are different software development process models. However, whichever model the company adopts, it should conduct its process evaluation in accordance with internationally accepted standards of vision. The ISO 15504 software process evaluation system provides this opportunity. Companies that have established a software process evaluation system in their organizations and operate in accordance with this system may also want to obtain a system certificate. When applying to the certification body to be selected, the company only needs to fill in the application form requested from the certification body. In addition, system documents should be submitted to the certification body for review.
How Should the Certification Process Be?
After the enterprise has established the ISO 15504 software process evaluation system in accordance with its organizational structure and started to operate in accordance with the standard, it can apply for the ISO 15504 software process evaluation system certificate from the certification body. This document is provided if the company's software process improvement, capabilities, and corporate maturity status are determined and are compatible with the audit research to be performed. Also;
- ISO 15504 SPICE certificate is an internationally valid document and is awarded through product evaluation and research.
- The company that owns this document is considered to have the basic objectives necessary for good software engineering.
- In this context, every software organization that aims to develop, run, improve and support software can obtain the ISO 15504 software process evaluation system certificate.
Afterwards, the company that wants to obtain this certificate must first go to the certification body. After choosing the certification body, you must fill in the application form obtained from here. After that, certification studies will be started by the selected certification bodies.
How to Get ISO 15504?
Attributes of a software process are those that give a measure of process capability and are evaluated on a success scale. In other words, the nature of each process determines one aspect of its ability to manage the process and improve its effectiveness to achieve its purpose. In this case, while evaluating the software process, it creates process improvement requirements on the one hand and determines the capability of the process on the other hand. Determining the adequacy of the process indicates that the process is appropriate, but can also indicate the need for process improvement.
How Does the Process Develop?
Process improvement research identifies organizational changes. Therefore, process evaluation research is carried out in a loop. The first step in this cycle is to refine the requirements. Improvement requirements should align with the organization's vision. At the same time, the infrastructure should be prepared for improvement.
After that, the change specification will be created, the strategy and priority will be determined, the process transition process will be planned, implemented, the target will be made compatible and measurable and then evaluated within the organization. According to the results, organizational and general evaluation reports will be prepared. If the result requires a new process improvement, the cycle will be repeated.
Where to Get ISO 15504?
The ISO 15504 standard can be expressed as the evaluation of the information technology process, and SPICE (Software Process Improvement and Capability Determination) can be expressed as the determination of the software process improvement capability level. It is a standard developed jointly by ISO and IEC organizations. The Turkish Standards Association is responsible for the development and dissemination of standards, and its expert team of 12 has the "International SPICE Inspector" certificate.
SPICE Model
The purpose of the SPICE model is to provide a common main principle for different software process evaluation models and methods. This allows evaluation results to be reported in a common context. The reference model defines the key objectives required for high-level software engineering and is suitable for any software organization that wishes to acquire, provide, develop, operate, develop, and support software. The model depends on;
- specific organizational structure,
- management philosophy,
- software lifecycle model,
- to software technology or development method
does not stand. The architecture of this reference model organizes processes in a way that helps software personnel understand and use software process management to continually improve.
ISO / IEC 15504 Standard
This standard was first used as a software process improvement model in 1993. It was later renamed SPICE, an acronym for Software Process Improvement and Talent Evaluation. Although the standard was initially geared towards software development, it was later expanded to include project development, configuration management, and quality assurance.
Standard Scopes Purpose
The ISO 15504 standard is an infrastructure standard for the evaluation of software processes and is used for the following purposes:
- To improve the methods owned and implemented by the company
- Evaluate whether the company is meeting specific needs
- Evaluate whether the supplier meets the requirements under a particular contract
The ISO 15504 standard or SPICE standard establishes a model to ensure that these assessments are self-consistent, adequate and repeatable. The model also defines the standards that assessors must adhere to. Therefore, there is no need for an external audit of companies implementing the standard.