The SPICE Challenge

Companies that are new to SPICE strive to understand the requirements and how to implement.

Common issues are:

  • Understanding the companies current maturity
  • Identify key improvement points
  • Align the companies process structure to SPICE
  • Find a documentation structure that fits the company
  • Establish tool chains
  • Establish traceability between requirements, design and test cases
  • Improve testing, primarily unit and integration testing

Companies that have SPICE processes established and want to continue improving tend to focus on these areas:

  • Establish agile project management and development methods
  • Improve tool chains in areas like: requirements management, design, testing and configuration management
  • Improve planning and documentation to become more effective.

SPICE Support – Establish

Novotis use informal assessments as a way to establish initial maturity and identify improvement points.

Solutions are developed in workshops with key stakeholders. Novotis do not believe in “just do what the standard says”. We want to find practical solutions for the company and work more with templates, good examples, guidelines and on-the-job-training. Process are used as way to document what has been agreed and tested.

Novotis has an iterative approach to establishing and improving processes and methods. We work hands-on in the project with the projects work products. We work in short iterations. Typically 2 – 3 iterations of one month is sufficient to establish a new area like safety design or safety analysis. Lifting all processes to a Level 3 maturity takes 18 – 24 months.

SPICE Support – Improve

Novotis has extensive experience in combining agile methods, like SCRUM with SPICE.

We have also worked with tool based development methods in combination with SPICE, like:

  • Tool based requirements management
  • Model based design
  • Continuous integration with automated build
  • Automated unit testing
  • Tool based test management

Novotis has also worked extensively with integrated configuration management and change control

Novotis has a preference for light weight and agile tools but we will work to find the best fit for the company. Novotis has server capacity to set-up tool chains for customer evaluation and demonstration.

Novotis SPICE Support

Novotis suggest a gap analysis and training session as a first step in an improvement project. Based on scope Novotis offers that as a 3 – 5 day activity. This will create awareness, build knowledge and identify SPICE support priorities.

Establishing SPICE in a new organisation typically requires 5 days of support per month for the duration of the project which varies based on the gap.

Improving specific areas like a tool chain can be a 5 – 20 days project lasting a few months.

We will tailor a support package to your need. Contact us to discuss your needs.