An empirical evaluation of ISO/IEC 15504-5 capability measures: Reflective or formative

Abstract

The development of composite indicators such as capability level (CL) depends on the relationship between a construct (e.g., capability) and its measures [e.g., process attributes (PA) in ISO/IEC 15504-5]. This relationship can be represented either by a reflective model (i.e., a set of measures reflecting the capability of a process) or a formative model (i.e., a set of measures that collectively determines the overall capability of a process). The aim of this study is to provide illustrations of relationship testing procedures with an example: statistically testing whether PAs as capability measures in ISO/IEC 15504-5 are reflective or formative. This test is a requirement of process measurement frameworks in ISO/IEC 33003. Our statistical tests show that PAs are formative measures that are consistent with the aggregation method of PA ratings. Capability and maturity measures in software engineering studies and other disciplines can also utilize our testing procedures to get the confidence of CLs and maturity levels assigned in assessments.