  Several studies have revealed the fact that nearly two-thirds of all software
process improvement (SPI) efforts have failed or have at least fallen short of
expectations. Literature and practice have shown that commitment to SPI at all
organizational levels is essential for the success of any SPI endeavor. A
research model for studying the existence, development and interplay of
SPI-related commitment is introduced in this paper. This study suggests that
software organizations operate through strategic, operational and personal
commitment nets. These nets consist of actors, drivers, concerns, actions,
commitment, and outcomes. The commitment nets model is applied in a study of
four industrial SPI initiatives. The results from two of these cases are
reported here. The results show that SPI is driven through the formation and
reformation of commitment nets. The contents of strategic, operational and
personal commitment nets are laid out and implications are discussed.
