Software development methodologies and related frameworks such as RUP®, PM-BOK, CMMI, ITIL, MSF™ as well as custom processes can be easily tailored in IRIS Process Author. The resultant processes can be used to create templates for Microsoft Project. These templates, which include work breakdown structures and embedded process guidance information, are used by project managers to plan their projects in accordance with the defined processes. IRIS Process Author creates process guidance information as separate and customizable guidance in the form of published web-site and printed documentation that can be linked with project template to help bridge the gap between projects and its process.

Increased delivery and quality pressure, combined with technological uncertainties and changing business environment, makes software projects more challenging than other traditional business projects. Besides the social and people factors, effective execution of software projects requires careful crafting of software development processes that integrate several areas such as project management, software engineering and quality management. Companies often incorporate best practices from external methodologies as well as internal practices as lessons learned from these areas to create integrated processes for software projects. Methodologies are high-level frameworks that require interpretation and tailoring either at team or project level. Whether the lifecycle model is based on Spiral, Agile, Iterative, or Waterfall approach, process development often entails integration of several types of methodologies and frameworks. These include Project Management methodologies (such as PM-BOK®, PRINCE2), Engineering Methodologies (such as MSF™, RUP®), Quality Management Frameworks (such as CMMI®, ISO, Six Sigma) and IT Internal Control Frameworks (such as ITIL®, COBIT, SOX). Tailoring and deployment are major hurdles related to incorporating best practices contained in these methodologies and frameworks.

Process and project management teams in software development organizations have traditionally been disconnected when it comes to the software development projects. 

Process and project management teams in software development organizations have traditionally been disconnected when it comes to the software development projects.Integrated processes rolled out by the process groups are often not in sync with the project plan developed by the project managers and the best practices contained in these processes are simply not made available to the project team members in a timely manner. The deliverable-focused role of project managers takes away the focus of incorporating the tailored processes in their software development project plan. The lack of automation has kept the process and project world apart — until now. 

Process and project management teams in software development organizations have traditionally been disconnected when it comes to the software development projects.
     -The Standish Group International, Inc.

 

IRIS Process Author bridges this gap by providing a powerful process development and tailoring environment to process groups while providing the capability of producing fully integrated project templates complete with embedded or linked process information. IRIS Process Author allows creation of re-usable process components and libraries that contains process information including templates and guidance required to develop engineering artifacts and managing project. The easy-to-use graphical user interface of IRIS Process Author, combined with powerful re-usability and abstraction features, creates an intuitive development and tailoring environment. The tailored processes from the industry standard process repository of IRIS Process Author can be easily validated for integrity before printing and publishing them.

Microsoft Project helps project managers manage schedules and resources as well as communicate project data, track and analyze projects. The tailored processes in IRIS Process Author are used to create project templates for Microsoft Project. These templates have complete work breakdown structure along with process information such as roles, work products, guidance and other best practices in the form of custom fields and notes. In addition, complete published version of the process is available for cross-reference either as a standalone web-site or integrated with Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server. Using IRIS Process Author with Microsoft Enterprise Project Management (EPM) Solution allows software development organizations to have more control over projects, centralize resources, improve team collaboration and help institutionalize best practices contained in the methodologies. For high maturity organization, this approach can be combined with Process Automation solutions such IRIS Process Live to automate processes and capture of lessons learned and metrics. This creates a process improvement framework and provides real-time visibility of the enacted processes. This integrated approach makes methodologies real and helps deploy integrated set of best practices leading to repeatability which is critical for building reliable applications in a predictable manner.