Process definition is still a young field, but we believe that the benefits of its use for process understanding and improvement are already apparent. Process definition can assist an organization in defining its software process. Feedback from the use of process definitions can assist the organization in developing a more mature process. No one process notation is good for all purposes, so an organization must decide which notations to use based on the job at hand.
Our plans are to continue to use the appropriate notations in our process definition activities. In the next stage of our work for the STARS Program, we will define a process for use on a STARS demonstration project. We believe that this defined process will assist process participants in understanding and carrying out the process. The formal process definition will also allow process improvement, through the use of feedback from the process participants and modification of the process definition.