Assessing CBD - what´s the difference?

The use of pre-built software components has increased remarkably in the last few years and a lot of companies are now developing software with a component-based approach. However, software developers as well as software process assessors have experienced problems when using existing models in a component-based context. This paper analyses the need for and proposes a set of processes suitable for CBD development and assessment methods and how and and in what way these processes differ from those defined in the ISO/IEC 15504, the international standard for software process assessment. The paper focuses on the processes needed to assemble components in to a larger application and explains the need for a changed process reference model for CBD, which triggers the need for a new software process assessment methodology.