The Personal Software Process (PSP) - Objectives and PSP Model

The developer uses some process to build computer software. The process can be ad hoc, may change on a daily basis, may not be efficient, effective or even successful, but a process does exist.
In the PSP methods included are: following a defined process, planning the work, gathering data, and using these data to analyze and improve the process.
While this sounds simple in concept, it is not easy in practice. This is why a principal focus of PSP introduction is on providing a working environment that supports PSP practices.

- PSP helps software engineers to understand and improve their performance by using a disciplined, data-driven procedure.
- PSP emphasizes personal measurement of both the work product that is produced and the resultant quality of the work product.
- PSP makes the practitioner responsible for project planning.
- PSP empowers the practitioner to control the quality of all software work products developed.
- PSP helps software engineers to improve their estimating and planning skills, make commitments they can keep, manage the quality of their projects, reduce the number of defects in their work.
- PSP helps developers produce zero-defect, quality products on schedule.
- PSP emphasizes the need to record and analyze the types of errors you make, so strategies can be developed to eliminate them.

FRAMEWORK ACTIVITIES USED DURING PSP ARE:
The PSP model defines five framework activities:
- Planning: Isolates requirements and based on these develops both size and resource estimates. A defect estimate is also made.
- High Level Design: External specifications for each component to be constructed are developed and a component design is created. Prototypes are built and all issues are recorded and tracked.
- High Level Design Review: Formal verification methods are applied to uncover errors in design.
- Development: The component level design is refined and reviewed. Code is generated, reviewed, compiled, and tested.
- Postmortem: The effectiveness of the process is determined using the measures and metrics collected.