Appreciative inquiry in software process improvement

Traditionally, software process improvement (SPI) has been approached from a problem-oriented perspective commonly using models such as the IDEAL and the DMAIC. In contrast, appreciative inquiry is a strength-based approach focusing on bringing forward the best in people and organizations to achieve successful change. While there is a significant research on SPI initiatives and the use of problem-oriented approaches there is limited knowledge about the way in which SPI initiatives unfolds when adopting a strength-based approach. Therefore, it is interesting to explore how software organizations familiar with problem-solving approaches experience the use of a strength-based approach. We present an action research study conducted at the Swedish telecom company Ericsson using appreciative inquiry to facilitate an SPI initiative implementing a new process and tool for the requirements and test case management. While the SPI initiative was considered successful, important lessons were learned regarding the use of appreciative inquiry. We conclude that the use of appreciative inquiry does not eliminate the dependence on other well-known key factors for SPI success. Also, our study indicates that the problem-solving mind-set, i.e. the satisfaction of identifying and solving problems, found among many software engineers familiar with problem-oriented approaches may impede the use of appreciative inquiry. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. All authors have made an equal contribution to the paper.