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Mexican TSP Collaboration Enters Second Phase
A delegation composed of representatives of Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (Tec de Monterrey) and the Mexican government visited the Software Engineering Institute recently to report on progress in the Mexican TSP Initiative and to sign an agreement to move toward the initiative's next phase.
The initiative aims to improve software development on a national scale through the careful, staged adoption of the SEI's Team Software ProcessSM and Personal Software ProcessSM (TSPSM and PSPSM) methodologies.
TSP and PSP are process technologies that were developed initially at the SEI by SEI Fellow Watts Humphrey; the SEI's TSP team is currently led by Jim Over. Among the objectives of TSP/PSP are reducing time to market, increasing productivity, improving cost and schedule performance, improving product quality, accelerating process improvement, and reducing professional staff shortages.
The Mexican TSP Initiative had its kickoff in mid-2006 and began launching TSP development teams in December 2006. Tec de Monterrey, with support from the Mexican national government and the state governments of Nuevo Leon and Jalisco, is leading this national initiative to position the Mexican software industry as an international competitor.
"The goal by 2013," said Rafael Salazar, director of PIIMS (International Positioning of the Mexican Software Industry-PSP), "is to be exporting $5 billion in software development projects. To do this, we need to maintain high quality standards by using TSP."
"Creation of high-value jobs is what the initiative is all about," he said.
During the first phase of the initiative, 74 individuals became SEI-Certified PSP Developers, including the first two undergraduate students in the world to hold this certification. With this number of certified developers, Mexico ranks first in the world. In August 2007, the initiative began moving toward Phase II, where PIIMS will take on a greater responsibility for training and credentialing on behalf of the SEI.
Signing the memorandum of understanding that will continue the collaboration between the SEI and Tec de Monterrey, Mark Kamlet, Carnegie Mellon University provost, said, "We have been very encouraged by the success of the initiative's first phase, and we look forward to further accomplishments in the next phases of the initiative."
David Garza, dean of Tec's Division of Electronic and Information Technologies, signed the memorandum for Tec de Monterrey. "We are really excited about the opportunity for the country and for Tec de Monterrey. The time is here for Mexico to have an impact on the industry. We are looking forward to making this a success for Carnegie Mellon, the SEI, the Mexican government, and Tec de Monterrey," said Garza.
Over, the SEI's TSP team leader, said, "The participants in the Mexican TSP Initiative understand what they have to do to increase the impact of the Mexican software industry. Very few times in life do you have an opportunity to participate in something that has an effect on the good of the country."
Added September 24, 2007