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.

Detta arbete visualiserar värdeflöde av solceller vid tre olika typer av solcellsinstallationer följt av förslag till förbättring gällande ett växande installationsföretag i Sverige. Genom värdeflödesanalys kan vi se tydliga samband mellan snabb tillväxt och logistiska problem, där spårbarhet, lokaler och personal är viktiga faktorer som behöv bindas samman för att skapa ett så optimalt flöde som möjligt. Resultatet är delade i två grupper. En grupp består av visualisering och information kring hur värdeflödet ser ut och den andra av vilka förbättringsmöjligheter företaget har för sin framtida verksamhet. Vi kan också se att företaget har stor potential att öka sin lönsamhet genom att via affärssystem utveckla sin logistikhantering samt sammankoppla företagets olika instanser för att nå en mer effektiv installationsprocess. / This report visualizes the value stream of solar cells at three different types of installations, followed by proposal of improvement at a growing installation company in Sweden. Through value stream mapping, we see a clear connection between a fast growing rate and logistical problems, where traceability, facilities and staff are key factors, which needs to be connected to create as optimal flow as possible. The results are divided into two groups. The first consists of visualization and information of the current value stream and the second of what kind of improvement we suggest the company takes into consider to go even further. We can also see that the company has great potential to increase its profitability by implementing ERP to its logistical department and to connect the other departments to reach a higher level of efficiency.

Background: The Swedish Royal School of Technology (KTH) was hired to conduct a pilot study project on stress prevention, "Stress Prevention Project" in a Swedish high-tech global manufacturing company with headquarters in Sweden. The aim was to identify the root causes of stress among employees at the organizational level and to offer a way to prevent the root causes. The initiative to implement the project came from the HR department in the company. The occupational health department had not been able to lower the costs of sickness and rehabilitation. One of nine divisions was included in this evaluation study. The project was carried out during the years of 2012-2014, and three quantitative stress measurements were carried out using the modern working environment form “Modern Work Life” based of knowledge from KTH and designed by Metodicum. The present study has evaluated the root causes of the division's stress. In the division, it was stated that the risk areas that the division had to work with were: resources, demands, control, support but also leadership and reorganization with implementing the Agile methods (autonomous work) in the form of. The aim was to improve the psychosocial occupational health and to make the production work more efficient. Aim: The aim was to evaluate the effect of stress preventive measures in one of the nine divisions (that were included in the overall project) and the effect of implementing the Agile methods (autonomous work) in the organization. Limitations: The evaluation is restricted to one of the nine divisions. Method: The method is a quantitative and qualitative case study, with a narrative approach. The study includes a division with 200 employees of which data was collected from 18 of these employees in two focus groups interviews. Materials have also been collected from interviews with the division's HR director, section leader, head of unit and head of the organization's business health. The evaluation is based on qualitative data, which were obtained through 3 single interviews and 4 focus group interviews and participant observation. Quantitative data were obtained through three different measurements (between 2012-14). The quantitative data were compared and analyzed with the qualitative data in order to understand the results up to the final measurement 3 (2014). Results: The evaluation of the stress prevention – where the focus was to prevent risk areas including demands, develop resources, control, support and also leadership – showed that introducing and using the Agile working principles had had a significant positive effect on all the risk areas. Additionally, this change in the organization contributed to positive results regarding the efficiency of the production process; a reduction of working hours from 12 months to 2 weeks of action at the same result. The absence due to illness and rehabilitation has been decreasing from 4 % to 0,5-1% right after introducing the Agile methods in the division. However, the results also showed no improvement regarding some other working environment; as conflicts and bullying persisted. This may be due to how the reorganization of the groups was done. It should be clarified that the outcomes may be influenced by the extensive reorganization that took place in connection with the stress prevention project and the introduction of the agile approach. Conclusions - The stress prevention could not have been done efficiently due to other on-going reorganizations in the company and the staff has not been able to follow the recommendation for efficient stress-prevention due to lack of support from the headquarter. That created a crisis in the stress prevention-project group. The agile methods seem to have had a significant good result in all risk areas as resources, demands, control, support and also leadership and the absence has decreased from 4 to 0,5 %. Due to the agile methods have the productions process been shorter from 12 months to 2 weeks.