Abstract Software process assessment and improvement came under the spotlight in the discussion of software engineering when the Software Engineering Institute published the maturity model for software process capability determination in 1987. Since then, several new approaches and standards have been developed. This thesis introduces a European software process assessment and improvement methodology called BOOTSTRAP, which was initially developed in an ESPRIT project starting from lean and kaizen philosophy. The focus is on the evolution of methodology and how it was developed, using an experimental research approach. The work covers also enhancements to the methodology investigated in the SPICE, PROFES and TAPISTRY projects. The enhancements expand the original methodology into new specific application areas, keep it compliant with new quality standards and certification, improve the efficiency of the assessment method, enhance the focus from process to product and strengthen improvement monitoring and support. To address these areas, the new BOOTSTRAP methodology releases offer tailored and enhanced assessment reference models and enhanced assessment and improvement methods. The new features also facilitate more frequent and even continuous assessments with software measurement-based indicators. The thesis explains the origin and features of BOOTSTRAP software process assessment and improvement methodology and how it was developed for professional use. The discussion starts with the evolution of the methodology. Then the new trends and demands are introduced and new features of the BOOTSTRAP methodology described. The conclusion discusses how the methodology developed to be able successfully to support professional software process assessment, to align it with the evolution of software engineering, to adopt the features and requirements of the underlying standards in order to conform to the requirements set by ISO 15504 standard and to become validated in practice. / Tiivistelmä Ohjelmistoprosessin arvioinnista ja parantamisesta tuli ohjelmistotekniikan keskeinen kiinnostuksen kohde kun Carnegie-Mellon yliopiston ohjelmistotekniikan instituutti SEI julkaisi kypsyysmallinsa ohjelmistoprosessin kyvykkyyden arviointiin vuonna 1987. Siitä lähtien maailmalla on syntynyt lukuisa määrä uusia malleja ja standardeja tälle alueelle. Tässä väitöskirjassa esitellään eurooppalainen ohjelmistoprosessin arviointi- ja parantamismenetelmä BOOTSTRAP, joka kehitettiin alun perin Euroopan unionin ESPRIT tutkimusohjelman rahoittamassa projektissa lähtien japanilaisesta ohut-ajattelusta (Lean) ja sen jatkuvan parantamisen periaatteesta (Kaizen). Esitys keskittyy menetelmän kehittymiseen ja siihen miten menetelmä käytännössä kehitettiin käyttäen kokeellista tutkimustapaa teollisessa ympäristössä. Työ kattaa myös alkuperäiseen menetelmään tehdyt laajennukset, jotka syntyivät yhteistyössä SPICE, PROFES ja TAPISTRY projekteissa tehdyn tutkimuksen tuloksena. Tehdyt laajennukset mahdollistavat menetelmän käytön uusilla sovellusalueilla, takaavat menetelmän yhteensopivuuden alan laatu- ja sertifiointistandardien kanssa, parantavat menetelmän tehokkuutta, laajentavat menetelmän käyttöaluetta prosessin arvioinnista sisältämään myös tuotteen kehittämisen arvioinnin ja vahvistavat parantamisen seurantaa ja tukemista. Toteuttaakseen näiden uusien ominaisuuksien vaatimukset uudet BOOTSTRAP menetelmän julkistukset tarjoavat räätälöityjä ja laajennettuja mallikuvauksia arviointien tekemiseksi sekä entistä täydellisempiä lähestymistapoja arviointien suorittamiselle ja parantamiselle. Menetelmän uudet ominaisuudet mahdollistavat myös usein toistuvien arviointien suorittamisen ja jopa jatkuvan arvioinnin ohjelmisto-mittauksia hyödyntäen. Väitöskirjassa kuvataan yksityiskohtaisesti BOOTSTRAP menetelmän lähtö-kohdat ja ominaisuudet ja se kuinka menetelmä onnistuttiin kehittämään ammattimaiseen ohjelmistoprosessin arviointiin ja parantamiseen sopivaksi. Ensin kuvataan menetelmän kehittyminen ja sitten edetään alan uusien kehitystrendien ja vaatimusten esittelyyn siihen kuinka BOOTSTRAP menetelmä uudet ominaisuudet vastaavat näihin vaatimuksiin. Yhteenvedossa osoitetaan kuinka kehittämisessä onnistuttiin saamaan aikaan uusi menetelmä, joka sopii ammattimaiseen ohjelmistoprosessin arviointiin, vastaa kaikilta osin alan kehittymisen vaatimuksia, sisältää alan standardien vaatimukset täyttävät käytännössä koestetut ominaisuudet, jotka takaavat menetelmän vastaavuuden ISO 15504 standardin vaatimuksiin.

Background: The administrators, managers, and leaders of criminal justice organizations experience a plethora of processes that impact the strategic, tactical, and operational facets of their respective organizations. Sound processes are central to effectively and efficiently managing criminal justice organizations and for facilitating the optimal operations of the organization. Such management characteristics are necessary to render public services towards the goals of deterring crime and maintaining societal order. Administrating and managing criminal justice organizations involves paradigms that favor process improvement and quality of processes. Existing methods include the Compstat paradigm Total Quality Management, business process management, business process improvement, business process reengineering, standards, legislation, policy, and Six Sigma. However, such paradigms not approach process improvement from the unique perspective of process maturity as a foundational basis. Additionally, no solitary foundational basis exists that uniquely addresses organizational process improvement issues, regarding criminal justice entities, from the perspective of evolutionary process maturation through time. This research examines the potential of adapting the Capability Maturity Model Integrated (CMMi) as a foundational process improvement framework among criminal justice organizations. Within the CMMi framework, process improvement begins from a state of random, ad hoc processes and culminates in a state of highly optimized processes. Through time, process maturation occurs through five primary stages sequentially: 1) random, 2) managed, 3) defined/specific, 4) quantitatively managed, and 5) optimized. This research explores the potential of leveraging the CMMi paradigm as a form of organizational process improvement within the criminal justice domain. Scope of the Study: This research investigated the potential for adapting the Capability Maturity Model (Integrated) (CMMi) within the criminal justice domain. A derivative maturity model framework, the Criminal Justice Maturity Model (CJMM), was crafted using the CMMi concept as its foundational premise. A Likert scale survey was implemented to investigate the perceptions of personnel regarding process improvement initiatives and their work settings. This study was constrained to the criminal justice domains of the states of Alabama and Mississippi. Data processing encompassed demographic descriptions of the survey instrument and the received responses, ANOVA, Chi-Square analysis, and the Cronbach Method. Stratifications involved separating the survey responses into classifications of Alabama versus Mississippi entities, urban versus rural entities, and management versus non-management entities. Findings and Conclusions: The conclusions of this research failed to show that all five levels of the maturity model framework appear to be separately perceived among the respondents. Therefore, per each individual stage of the maturity model framework, this research failed to show conclusively that the complete maturity model framework is adaptable among administrative settings in the criminal justice domain and that process maturity issues among respondent settings are addressed via a process maturity framework. Because this research failed to show the perceived characteristics of all five maturity levels of the maturity model framework separately, it is concluded that the criminal justice administrative settings of the respondents do not conform completely to the tenets of the CMMi paradigm. Future studies were recommended to pursue additional approaches of this research project. This study represents an initial starting point from which several future endeavors may be initiated. / Criminology and Security Science / D.Litt. et Phil. (Police Science)

Background: The administrators, managers, and leaders of criminal justice organizations experience a plethora of processes that impact the strategic, tactical, and operational facets of their respective organizations. Sound processes are central to effectively and efficiently managing criminal justice organizations and for facilitating the optimal operations of the organization. Such management characteristics are necessary to render public services towards the goals of deterring crime and maintaining societal order. Administrating and managing criminal justice organizations involves paradigms that favor process improvement and quality of processes. Existing methods include the Compstat paradigm Total Quality Management, business process management, business process improvement, business process reengineering, standards, legislation, policy, and Six Sigma. However, such paradigms not approach process improvement from the unique perspective of process maturity as a foundational basis. Additionally, no solitary foundational basis exists that uniquely addresses organizational process improvement issues, regarding criminal justice entities, from the perspective of evolutionary process maturation through time. This research examines the potential of adapting the Capability Maturity Model Integrated (CMMi) as a foundational process improvement framework among criminal justice organizations. Within the CMMi framework, process improvement begins from a state of random, ad hoc processes and culminates in a state of highly optimized processes. Through time, process maturation occurs through five primary stages sequentially: 1) random, 2) managed, 3) defined/specific, 4) quantitatively managed, and 5) optimized. This research explores the potential of leveraging the CMMi paradigm as a form of organizational process improvement within the criminal justice domain. Scope of the Study: This research investigated the potential for adapting the Capability Maturity Model (Integrated) (CMMi) within the criminal justice domain. A derivative maturity model framework, the Criminal Justice Maturity Model (CJMM), was crafted using the CMMi concept as its foundational premise. A Likert scale survey was implemented to investigate the perceptions of personnel regarding process improvement initiatives and their work settings. This study was constrained to the criminal justice domains of the states of Alabama and Mississippi. Data processing encompassed demographic descriptions of the survey instrument and the received responses, ANOVA, Chi-Square analysis, and the Cronbach Method. Stratifications involved separating the survey responses into classifications of Alabama versus Mississippi entities, urban versus rural entities, and management versus non-management entities. Findings and Conclusions: The conclusions of this research failed to show that all five levels of the maturity model framework appear to be separately perceived among the respondents. Therefore, per each individual stage of the maturity model framework, this research failed to show conclusively that the complete maturity model framework is adaptable among administrative settings in the criminal justice domain and that process maturity issues among respondent settings are addressed via a process maturity framework. Because this research failed to show the perceived characteristics of all five maturity levels of the maturity model framework separately, it is concluded that the criminal justice administrative settings of the respondents do not conform completely to the tenets of the CMMi paradigm. Future studies were recommended to pursue additional approaches of this research project. This study represents an initial starting point from which several future endeavors may be initiated. / Criminology and Security Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Police Science)

This master's thesis is oriented on software development processes improvement techniques. It presents modern approaches of process development and analyses problems of their management and usage in various life cycle phases. In connection with these techniques it brings draft of support tool, which increases automatization of processes development with pertinent cooperation with other tools, as one of presumptions of improvement of their quality.

A smart contract is a recently emerging technology which enables agreement to be automatable by computers and enforceable by legal enforcement or tamper-proof execution of code. A majority of smart contracts are run on the blockchain which enables smart contract transactions without a central authority. Smart contract implementation contains several challenges which makes implementation more difficult. The problem is that organisations struggle to implement smart contracts due to the absence of documentation, standardisation, and guidelines making it difficult to know how a smart contract should be implemented. Additionally, it is unclear what capabilities and tools are required for smart contract implementation. Therefore, it is challenging for organisations to assess their own competence of smart contract implementation. This thesis aims to develop a Smart Contract Maturity Model (SCMM). The purpose of the model is to clarify the functionalities and capabilities required to implement a smart contract while also offering organisations the ability to assess the smart contract implementation competency. This improves the adoption of smart contracts. Through the help of the design science framework, the SCMM emerged from the thesis. Applying design science included explicating the problem, defining requirements, designing and developing the artefact, demonstrating and evaluating the artefact. A literature survey was used to explicate the problem and to define requirements for the maturity model. Furthermore, a case study including interviews were used to refine the requirements and to demonstrate and evaluate the SCMM. The SCMM includes maturity levels, generic goals and practices, specific goals, key processing areas and practices, tools, glossaries and smart contract examples. Inspired by the Capability Maturity model Model Integration for Development (CMMI-DEV), the maturity levels of the SCMM consisted of initial, foundation, managed, defined, quantitatively managed and optimising. The identified key processing areas were stakeholder capabilities, resources and tools, platform, contract implementation, standards, laws and terminology and security. Although there were several limitations, the SCMM contributed to the field of smart contracts by closing the gap of previous research and improving the adoption of smart contracts.