A comparison of US and Japanese software process maturity

The report characterizes the software processes currently used by software managers and practitioners in the US and Japan. The US data for this comparative study are drawn from extensive Software Engineering Institute (SEI) assessments conducted from 1987 through 1989. The Japanese maturity data were gathered in connection with a three-week trip to Japan by the authors. This includes data on 168 US projects and 196 Japanese software projects. The data indicate that the Japanese software industry is, in some respects, both weaker and stronger than that of the US. There are also significant differences in the maturity findings between the US and Japanese organizations, and these have important implications for software organizations in both countries