Towards Software Process Improvement by Integrating Agile Approaches and Statistical Process Control: An Industrial Experience Report

The strategic integration of Agile methodologies, automation, and Statistical Process Control (SPC) enabled the Technology Unit of a public university to improve its software development processes, automate nineteen key performance indicators (KPIs), and establish a path toward data-driven management aligned with institutional strategy. This article presents the experience of this unit during an initiative conducted from 2021 to 2024, guided by the Stairway to Heaven model and supported by frameworks such as Scrum, BizDevOps, OKR, COBIT, and ITIL. The primary goal was to align technical processes with institutional strategy and regulatory compliance while fostering a culture of transparency, adaptability, and continuous improvement grounded in measurement. A hybrid methodology combining the Goal-Question-Metric (GQM) approach and SPC was adopted to define, monitor, and evaluate KPIs across processes including software development, incident management, and Product Owner satisfaction. Initial efforts focused on selecting value-driven indicators, followed by data collection and visualization through Power BI dashboards linked to Azure DevOps and SharePoint, which enabled real-time traceability and iterative measurement cycles. Subsequently, SPC techniques—including c-charts, X̄ & S charts, and process capability indices (Cp and Cpk)—were applied to assess process stability and variability, identify deviations, and guide corrective actions aimed at continuous improvement. This documented experience serves as a practical guide for organizations transitioning from reactive quality control to proactive, evidence-based management tailored to regulated environments. It also provides insights into the challenges inherent in continuous improvement of software development processes.