The Personal Software Process (PSP) Body of Knowledge, Version 1.0

Parent Program

Software Engineering Process Management Program

Parent Project

The Team Software Process (TSP) and the Personal Software Process (PSP)

Marsha Pomeroy-Huff
Julia Mullaney
Robert Cannon
Mark Sebern

Foreword by Watts S. Humphrey

Special Report
CMU/SEI-2005-SR-003

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As the profession of software engineering evolves and matures, it must achieve some of the critical elements needed for recognition as a bona fide discipline.  Among these elements are the establishment of a recognized body of knowledge (BOK) and certification of professional practitioners.

The body of knowledge contained in this report is designed to complement the IEEE Computer Society’s Software Engineering Body of Knowledge (SWEBOK) by delineating the key skills and concepts that compose the knowledge areas and competencies of a proven-effective process improvement method, the Personal Software Process (PSP).  As adoption of the PSP methodology continues to grow, it becomes crucial to document the fundamental knowledge and skills that set PSP practitioners apart from other software engineers.  The PSP BOK serves this purpose and more.  It helps individual practitioners to assess and improve their own skills; provides employers with an objective baseline for assessing the personal process skills and capabilities of their engineers and product development teams; and guides academic institutions that want to incorporate PSP into their software and other engineering courses or curricula.  The PSP BOK also facilitates the development of PSP certification programs that are based on a well-established, standard set of knowledge and skills.