The 30-year experience from the Software Measurement field explains that a strong resistance usually comes from project team members, supposing the real objective is a personal evaluation on their performance and not a neutral measurement for a concrete process improvement. Concurrently, from the middle ‘80s a series of SPI models - such as the Software Capability Maturity Model (Sw-CMM) and nowadays its evolution, the CMMI –provided a guide for realizing a real improvement, where measurement played an important role, before as a Common Feature, then as a separate process (MA – Measurement and Analysis) at Level 2. But a certain resistance still remain alive also after these years. Recently, in the Management field (and also in ICT) more than “serious” books and reference guides it seems that (apparent) semi-serious publications such as the Dilbert strips by Scott Adams are referenced in technical presentations and papers as a starting point for commenting daily ICT malpractices. If so, another good source for “joking” with such serious things are some of the most know laws, the “Murphy’s laws”, originally written by Arthur Block and after created/modified by plenty of people worldwide and published over the Internet in a sort of “GNU licence for humour”. This paper tries to propose a “murphological view” on Software Measurement issues, commenting some related measurement-related laws and providing links with main SPI practices at the aim to reduce the percentage of failures in application of Software Measurement programs, as noted by H.Rubin some years ago.

1. A Murphological View on Software Measurement:A Murphological View on Software Measurement:
a serious joke or a funny serious thing?a serious joke or a funny serious thing?
3° Software Measurement European Forum
Rome, 12 May 2006
Luigi Buglione, Carol Dekkers

2. Turning Client Vision into Results2
Agenda
Introduction
– Improving RCA effects: new possible ways
– RCA for Software Process Improvement with...humor
Some Murphy’s commented laws on...
– Measurement & Analysis
– Project Planning, Monitoring & Control
– Communication & Stakeholders
– ...
SPI and Knowledge Management
– Which relationships?
– SECI model
– MM-mania
Conclusions & Prospects

3. Turning Client Vision into Results3
Introduction
Improving RCA effects: new possible ways
• During last 10 years, Software Measurement has been recognized
more and more in the SwEngineering arena...
“matured” from activity to process (i.e. ME in CMMI; ORG.5 in SPICE; ...)
•• ...but usually there is a strong resistance from project team
members about whatever kind of measurement
mostly perceived as a personalpersonal evaluation on their own performance, not
for a concrete, neutral processprocess improvement
according to H.Rubin (1996), only 1:5 or 1:6 sw companies were successful
in the implementation of a sw measurement program after 2yrs
also from an ISO 9001 viewpoint, Clause 8 is one of the less well
accomplished worldwide
• Q: how to remove misconceptions and resistance towards
measurement in ICT companies?
A: a possible manner is to speak to technical people using a different
language

4. Turning Client Vision into Results4
Introduction
RCA for SPI with...humor (1/2)
Some examples of a “different language” about technical issues:
the “Dilbert principle”
the Murphy’s laws
Proverbs from the
“measurement”
viewpoint

5. Turning Client Vision into Results5
Introduction
RCA for SPI with...humor (2/2)
• Our proposalOur proposal: to have a “murphological view” on Software Measurement
• Objective: derive useful tips for SPI, following a sort of IDEALIDEAL path
• QQ: how to use these tips and add value to the organization?
•• AA: one of the key issues is to improve the organization’s RCA (Root-
Cause-Analysis) capability (CAR – Causal Analysis & Resolution, CMMI
ML5)

6. Turning Client Vision into Results6
Agenda
Introduction
– Improving RCA effects: new possible ways
– RCA for Software Process Improvement with...humor
Some Murphy’s commented laws
– Selected laws & Commented tables
– ...on Measurement & Analysis
– ...on Project Planning, Monitoring & Control
– ...on Communication & Stakeholders
SPI and Knowledge Management
– Which relationships?
– SECI model
– MM-mania
Conclusions & Prospects

7. Turning Client Vision into Results7
Some Murphy’s commented laws
Selected Laws & Commented Tables
•• Main sources were the books by Arthur Block, plus a plenty of
webpages moving from the original idea
• Selected 21 laws about few issues such as:
Measurement && Analysis
Project Planning
Project Monitoring && Control
Communication && Stakeholders
...
• This is the structure for a “Murphy’s-SPI” table:

8. Turning Client Vision into Results8
Some Murphy’s commented laws
...on Measurement & Analysis (1/2)
CMMI
o MA (all the PA)
Related SPI
reference(s)
• To keep advantage from measurement for your projects/activitiesMissing
opportunity(ies)
A not shared definition of measures (as well as the measurement process) can
lead to interpretations of such measures and to the gathering of different
and inconsistent quantities for a certain event, making useless any report
and statistics.
Potential risk(s)
Documenting the project is often perceived by project team members as a
waste of time, because a support and not a primary process.
Current flaw(s)
There are several (base and derived) measures used for properly monitor and
control the project, typically described in a Measurement Plan, and derived
using a goal-oriented approach (e.g. GQM). They can be seen from a
twofold perspective: definitions and results, both referable to measures
and measurement process.
Measurement context
Arnold's Law of Documentation:
1. If it should exist, it doesn't.
2. If it does exist, it's out of date.
3. Only documentation for useless programs transcends the first two
laws
[10]#3

9. Turning Client Vision into Results9
Some Murphy’s commented laws
...on Measurement & Analysis (2/2)
CMMI
o MA SP 1.2.-1 (Specify Measures)
o MA SP 2.2.-1 (Analyze Measurement Data)
o DAR SP 1.1-1 (Establish Guidelines for Decision Analysis)
Related SPI
reference(s)
• Not balanced objective and subjective measurementsMissing
opportunity(ies)
Historical data is a powerful tool for supporting the decision-making process,
not a perfect substitute for it or for managers.
Potential risk(s)
Often an organization has in place a lot of measures, mostly from the
subjective viewpoints, with Satisfaction Surveys at different levels and for
various audiences, but with a reduced focus on the objective way. Decisions
often are taken on experience and not always supported by numbers and
historical data.
Current flaw(s)
Measurement & Analysis (MA) is one of the new processes introduced in the
CMMI at ML2 for improving this way of managing an organization, by facts.
Measurement context
Finagle's Creed: Science is true. Don't be misled by facts[10]#15

10. Turning Client Vision into Results10
Some Murphy’s commented laws
...on Project Planning, Monitoring & Control (1/2)
CMMI
o PP SP 1.4-1 (Determine Estimates of Effort and Cost)
o PMC SP 1.1-1 (Monitor Project Planning Parameters)
o QPM SP 2.2-1 (Apply Statistical Methods to Understand Variations)
Related SPI
reference(s)
• A reduced amount of quantitative information brought out for the
decision-making process, at all levels.
Missing
opportunity(ies)
Resulting values, because not enough to better describe a certain
phenomenon, could lead to wrong conclusions, blaming that
measurement is an high-cost practices with a low value returned.
Potential risk(s)
Sometimes a quantitative management is performed using few raw data
points, often for a low frequency in data gathering or for non-
historicization of all potentially useful projects’ data.
Current flaw(s)
The more points are taken into account in a statistical series, the most
affordable is the input for estimating.
Measurement context
Chemist's Rule: Never take more than three data points. There will
always be some kind of graph paper on which they fall in a straight
line
Chemist's Rule, First Corollary: If you have only one kind of graph
paper, never take more than two data points
[10]#9

11. Turning Client Vision into Results11
Some Murphy’s commented laws
...on Project Planning, Monitoring & Control (2/2)
CMMI
o CAR SP1.2-1 (Analyze Causes)
Related SPI
reference(s)
• Consequently, a lower capability to consistently apply RCA in your
organization can reduce the possibility to find out common solutions, which
could allow cost-savings.
Missing
opportunity(ies)
Often an “ad-hoc” solution is found for each problem; the misapplication of
Root-Cause-Analysis (RCA) with other well-known TQM old tools could
reduce the organization’s capability to group problems into “families of
causes”.
Potential risk(s)
Few organizations have a structured application of RCA in their Quality
Management Systems (QMS). Another potential problem for those companies
applying CMMI in its staged representation could be to postpone CAR
implementation in terms of priorities because it’s a ML5 PA.
Current flaw(s)
Root-Cause-Analysis (RCA) should always run associating the proper
measures and metrics to each element put on the fishbones
Measurement context
Brady's First Law of Problem Solving: When confronted by a difficult
problem, you can solve it more easily by reducing it to the question,
"How would the Lone Ranger have handled this?"
[10]#6

12. Turning Client Vision into Results12
Some Murphy’s commented laws
...on Communication & Stakeholders (1/2)
CMMI
o GP 2.7 (Identify and Involve Relevant Stakeholders)
Related SPI
reference(s)
• Measures can be meaningless and consequently the measurement
process will lose consensus and ROI from the process improvement
program could bring to the organization a reduced value to the company.
Missing
opportunity(ies)
Whether such shared and common information, glossary and usage of
measures is not in place, there is a high risk to have in return
meaningless data to use for the decision-making process (i.e. mixing
apples and oranges: Do a LOC include or exclude comment lines? Do we
count a physical or a logical line of code?...)
Potential risk(s)
Lack of communication is a general problem: there is the need for a common
and shared information, glossary, consistent usage of such measures
within the organization (i.e. how are defined and gathered data on
defects or LOCs?).
Current flaw(s)
The measurement process involves several roles: who creates and defines a
measure, who gathers data, who uses those data for his/her decision-
making process.
Measurement context
Law of Communications: The inevitable result of improved and
enlarged communications between different levels in a hierarchy is
a vastly increased area of misunderstanding.
[10]#11

13. Turning Client Vision into Results13
Some Murphy’s commented laws
...on Communication & Stakeholders (2/2)
P-CMM
o ML2: Communication & Coordination, CO1 (Executive management establishes
and communicates a set of values for the organization regarding the
development and management of its workforce)
Related SPI
reference(s)
• It could generate a lower ROI on process improvement activities than expected.Missing opportunity(ies)
As well known in Process Management approaches and models such as the Balanced
Scorecard, Malcolm Baldridge and EFQM, the HR component represents the
main (or one of the main) drivers for change. Not taking into account a series of
cause-effect relationships could generate worse interpersonal relationships, with
repercussions on working activities and on the overall organizational climate.
Potential risk(s)
Often personal issues or communication issues, from a subjective and interpersonal
perspective, are not subject of Tracking & Control activities, or are anyway
evaluated in a light way, using typically subjective tools (i.e. surveys, interviews,
…)
Current flaw(s)
There are several aspects about meetings – and generally speaking inside an
organization – to keep under control, not only those ones discussed in CMMI, in
particular those in Project Management areas.
Measurement context
Second Law of Business Meetings: If there are two possible ways to spell a
person's name, you will pick the wrong one.
Corollary: If there is only one way to spell a name, you will spell it wrong,
anyway.
[10]#8

14. Turning Client Vision into Results14
Agenda
Introduction
– Improving RCA effects: new possible ways
– RCA for Software Process Improvement with...humor
Some Murphy’s commented laws on...
– Measurement & Analysis
– Project Planning, Monitoring & Control
– Communication & Stakeholders
– ...
SPI and Knowledge Management
– Which relationships?
– SECI model
– MM-mania
Conclusions & Prospects

15. Turning Client Vision into Results15
SPI and Knowledge Management
Which Relationship? (1/2)
•• Q: how people and processes are related?
• A: some answers are in Performance Management models (i.e.
Balanced Scorecard, Malcolm Baldridge, EFQM, ...), where HR are the
main enabler for activating the organizational change

16. Turning Client Vision into Results16
SPI and Knowledge Management
Which Relationship? (2/2)
•• Q: so, if people is a strategic asset for companies, how to explicit
the tacit knowledge from employees?
• A: Murphy’s SPI tables could represent a possible knowledge
asset type. Possible advantages:
making easier a real knowledge transfer among employees
making less boring some technical training (cfr. SengeSenge’’s 5s 5thth disciplinediscipline)

17. Turning Client Vision into Results17
SPI and Knowledge Management
The SECI Model (1/2)
• SECI model a Japanese model by Nonaka && Takeuchi (1995)
for achieving deeper knowledge
Objective: create and efficiently manage knowledge in an organization
Elements: Process model, Ba Knowledge Asset (KA)
• The Process Four phases (tacit explicit)
Socialization (empathizing)
Externalization (articulating)
Combination (connecting)
Internalization (embodying)

18. Turning Client Vision into Results18
SPI and Knowledge Management
The SECI Model (2/2)
• Dimensions of analysis
Interaction types (F2F)
Amount of people interacting (individual ; collective)
• Four Types of Knowledge Assets:
experiential: tacit knowledge through common experiences
conceptual: explicit knowledge articulated through images, symbols and language
systemic: systemized and packaged explicit knowledge
routine: tacit knowledge routinized and embedded in actions and practices

19. Turning Client Vision into Results19
SPI and Knowledge Management
The Maturity Model (MM)-mania
•• Q: is there a direct link among KM (i.e. SECI) and SPI models (i.e.
CMMI)?
• A: No. Some critical success
factors (CFSs):
Enlarge the vision to a more
comprehensive business view
Consider at the same time
models from different but
complementary domains (i.e.
People CMM or other MMs
MM-mania)
• A: Make your own Business
Process Model (BPM) more
mature during years, expliciting
as much as possible the
corporate knowledge
Source: http://www.geocities.com/lbu_measure/spi/spi.htm#6

20. Turning Client Vision into Results20
Agenda
Introduction
– Improving RCA effects: new possible ways
– RCA for Software Process Improvement with...humor
Some Murphy’s commented laws on...
– Measurement & Analysis
– Project Planning, Monitoring & Control
– Communication & Stakeholders
– ...
SPI and Knowledge Management
– Which relationships?
– SECI model
– MM-mania
Conclusions & Prospects

21. Turning Client Vision into Results21
Conclusions && Prospects
•• Improvement is deeply inside the human nature, but when applied to
non-personal contexts generates less motivation
• People is the main asset for a company, but not optimized and properly
used, leaving unexpressed energies and knowledge
• Using a bit of humour in the externalization of knowledge could be a
different, not usual road to take
• MurphyMurphy’’ss--SPI tablesSPI tables represent a knowledge asset that could help people
in a RCA, reducing distance between the everyday life and suggested
solutions
• Those tables can be created, modified and reused making more explicit
the corporate knowledge, producing added value for the organization
• Avoid the “Silver Bullet Flu”: models and techniques should be only
starting points for improving your own BPM, not the solution itself
“The most exciting phase to hear in science, the one that heralds
new discoveries, is not ‘Eureka!’ (I found it!) but ‘That’s
funny...’” (Isaac Azimov)

22. Turning Client Vision into Results22
Q & A
Thanks for your attention!

23. Luigi Buglione
Atos Origin
luigi.buglione@atosorigin.com
Carol Dekkers
QualityPlus Tech.
dekkers@qualityplustech.com