Review By: Vivek Vaishampayan
11/07/2005"PSP: A Self-Improvement Process for Software Engineers" describes the personal software process (PSP) and explains the practices and methods for software engineers to deliver quality products on predictable schedules. Author Watts S. Humphrey provides guidelines for developing personal software engineering skills so one can perform at his best level. The author describes methods and tips on assessing individual performance, identifying ways to improve, and how to make the improvements.

"PSP" presents the process in carefully crafted steps. The first chapter describes the overall principles and strategies. Next Humphrey explains how to follow a defined process and how to gather and use the data required for managing a programming job. The author covers estimating and planning, quality management, and design. The last two chapters show how to put the PSP to work on a team project.

The author has thoroughly described the project-planning framework, and has strongly suggested incorporating a personal plan as part of a software project plan. This is the essential central theme of PSP. Describing the PSP scheduling procedure in depth, Humphrey shows how to estimate tasks, plan task dependencies, make the schedule, and define milestones. The task-planning template is quite helpful, among many templates and detailed procedures to make the PSP crystal clear.

To get the maximum benefit out of this book, the readers should complete a few module-size programming assignments in any language they prefer. You should follow the prescribed PSPs, gather and measure the data, use the data repeatedly for process improvements, and then use it iteratively in all your project work to deliver quality products on predictable schedules.

"PSP" serves as an excellent reference for its latest iteration specified by SEI and a definitive guide for learning the PSP. This process includes defect management, comprehensive planning, and precise project tracking and reporting. The author's approach encourages applying the PSP to module-sized programs development, and then walks through a progressive sequence of practices that provide a sound foundation for large-scale software development. Software engineers using the PSP methods will be well prepared to apply these methods on even larger and more critical projects.

Within the PSP, design reviews and code reviews are used to find defects. Humphrey explains that when proper reviews and inspections are done, PSP teams typically find close to 99 percent of defects before even starting system level testing, thereby cutting the test times by ten times or more. The author stresses that a truly effective review follows an orderly process, uses sound review practices, and measures the work. To streamline a new thought, such as "review the review process to do a better review next time," the author provides excellent scripts and checklists, for both the PSP code review and PSP2 design review process. The PSP's recommended personal quality management strategy to use plans and historical data to guide the future work is relevant to QA and testing.

PSP may be successful at module level programs, but the real challenge will be to prove that it can withstand the large complex software project development demands and pressures while utilizing all project resources at optimum level.