The PERFECT improvement approach (PIA) guides the introduction and operation of company-specific process improvement programs. PIA is motivated by a set of company-specific improvement needs and necessary ground rules or principles for process improvement in the software domain. The PIA is defined through the following parts: principles of systematic improvement; generic models that make the improvement principles operational; a collection of specializations, refinements, and instantiations of the generic models that provide operational support for systematic improvement. The generic models are structured into three perspectives: a methodological perspective, an organizational perspective, and a functional perspective. The methodological perspective addresses the activities involved in systematic improvement. It is supported by the PIA and the goal question metric paradigm (GQM). The organizational perspective addresses the roles and organizational entities involved in systematic improvement, and that may have to be established newly in an organization; it is supported by the PIA experience factory. The functional perspective addresses the organizational and human capabilities, as well as the tool support required for systematic improvement.
The PERFECT results are primarily to be exploited through extension of ongoing co-operation projects with large enterprises in the embedded systems domain. The PERFECT results are a leading-edge product of high strategic relevance which meet high market demands. The PERFECT results will be equally interesting for the commercial systems domain.