By the end of the course, they cannot claim that the PSP methods do not improve their performance, because their personal data proves that they do. The PSP process evolution. Somewhat like learning to swim, the course does not start engineers at the deep end of the pool. As shown in Figure 1, engineers start at PSP0 using essentially their current methods, whatever they are. By the end of the course, with program 10, they are following the full PSP3.
Engineers thus learn and practice each new method before progressing to the next.
While following the PSP processes, they gather and analyze data on their work, and they learn how to define and use processes they can tailor to their individual needs. They also learn how to derive a prediction interval that indicates the likely accuracy of their estimates. Schedule and task planning templates are introduced, and projects are tracked with the earned-value method, which helps engineers determine project status and predict project completion. The PSP also addresses design quality. Modern software design methods focus on producing designs but most do not specify what a design is, i.e., what it must contain when completed.