Beyond software factories: Concurrent-development process and an evolution of software process technology in Japan

This article discusses the evolution of software process technology in Japan. During the 1970s, Japanese software industry focused on the formalization and standardization of software process which became the basis of Japanese software factories. In the 1980s, vital activities were devoted to continuous process improvement at the heart of software TQC (Total Quality Control). Based on such activities, the author and his colleagues developed a new process model named concurrent-development process in the late 1980s. The concurrent-development process is an evolution of conventional software process, and integrates not only conventional production-process concepts, including Japanese software factories and lean production systems, but also a set of process management techniques based on time. Applying the concurrent-development process to large-scale communications software has revealed shorter development cycle-time and higher productivity. It can be seen as a new model of software development in the 1990s.