Concept · Embedded Software & Tools
Process attribute
A measurable property of a process that an assessment rates, such as whether the process is performed, whether its performance is managed or whether its work products are managed.
- Type
- Concept
- Domain
- Embedded Software & Tools, Software process
Overview
Process attributes are the building blocks of capability levels. Each level from 1 upwards is defined by one or two attributes, and an assessment rates every attribute in scope rather than the level directly.
How it works
At level 1 the attribute is process performance: the process achieves its outcomes. Level 2 adds performance management and work product management. Level 3 adds process definition and process deployment. Levels 4 and 5 add quantitative analysis and control, then process innovation and its implementation.
Assessors rate each attribute as not, partially, largely or fully achieved, using evidence from work products and interviews. In Automotive SPICE, level 1 is judged on the base practices and outcomes of each process, and the higher attributes on generic practices.
Before it starts, the assessment team agrees how ratings from several instances of a process are combined.
Examples
- Work product management rated partially achieved because reviews are not recorded.
- Process performance rated fully achieved on software unit verification.
- Performance management rated largely achieved after plans and monitoring were added.
- A rule agreed for combining ratings from two teams on one project.
Why it matters
Process quality engineers plan improvement attribute by attribute, because a gap in one attribute holds back the whole level. Assessors record the ratings, and the capability profile is built from them.
It matters most to: Audit and Certification Coordinator, Process Quality Engineer (Automotive SPICE)
Common confusions
- Not the same as Base practice
- A base practice is an activity of one particular process; process attributes apply to every process and are rated using base and generic practices as indicators.
Related standards
- ISO/IEC 33020 (process measurement framework for assessment of process capability)
Sources
- ISO/IEC 33020:2019 Process measurement framework for assessment of process capability (opens in a new tab), Estonian Centre for Standardisation and Accreditation (EVS), 2026-11-10
- Automotive SPICE Process Assessment / Reference Model, version 4.0 (opens in a new tab), VDA QMC, 2026-11-10
- ISO/IEC 15504 (opens in a new tab), Wikipedia, 2026-11-10
Related terms
Part of the Embedded Software & Tools glossary, with every term in the topic and the lifecycles, tools and standards that use them.
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