The Personal Software Process (PSP) Body of Knowledge, Version 1.0
• SEI Report
Publisher
Software Engineering Institute
CMU/SEI Report Number
CMU/SEI-2005-SR-003DOI (Digital Object Identifier)
10.1184/R1/6585212.v1Topic or Tag
Abstract
As the profession of software engineering evolves and matures, it must achieve some of the critical elements needed for recognition as a bona fide discipline. Among these elements are the establishment of a recognized body of knowledge (BOK) and certification of professional practitioners.
The body of knowledge contained in this report is designed to complement the IEEE Computer Society's Software Engineering Body of Knowledge (SWEBOK) by delineating the key skills and concepts that compose the knowledge areas and competencies of a proven-effective process improvement method, the Personal Software Process (PSP). As adoption of the PSP methodology continues to grow, it becomes crucial to document the fundamental knowledge and skills that set PSP practitioners apart from other software engineers. The PSP BOK serves this purpose and more. It helps individual practitioners to assess and improve their own skills; provides employers with an objective baseline for assessing the personal process skills and capabilities of their engineers and product development teams; and guides academic institutions that want to incorporate PSP into their software and other engineering courses or curricula. The PSP BOK also facilitates the development of PSP certification programs that are based on a well-established, standard set of knowledge and skills.
Cite This SEI Report
Pomeroy-Huff, M., Mullaney, J., Cannon, R., Sebern, M., & Humphrey, W. (2005, August 1). The Personal Software Process (PSP) Body of Knowledge, Version 1.0. (SEI Report CMU/SEI-2005-SR-003). Retrieved September 12, 2026, from https://doi.org/10.1184/R1/6585212.v1.
@techreport{pomeroy-huff_2005,
author={Pomeroy-Huff, Marsha and Mullaney, Julia and Cannon, Robert and Sebern, Mark and Humphrey, Watts},
title={The Personal Software Process (PSP) Body of Knowledge, Version 1.0},
month={Aug},
year={2005},
number={{CMU/SEI-2005-SR-003},
institution={Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University},
doi={10.1184/R1/6585212.v1},
url={https://doi.org/10.1184/R1/6585212.v1},
note={Accessed: 2026-Sep-12}
}
Pomeroy-Huff, Marsha, Julia Mullaney, Robert Cannon, Mark Sebern, and Watts Humphrey. "The Personal Software Process (PSP) Body of Knowledge, Version 1.0." (CMU/SEI-2005-SR-003). Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. Software Engineering Institute, August 1, 2005. https://doi.org/10.1184/R1/6585212.v1.
M. Pomeroy-Huff, J. Mullaney, R. Cannon, M. Sebern, and W. Humphrey, "The Personal Software Process (PSP) Body of Knowledge, Version 1.0," Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. Software Engineering Institute, SEI Report CMU/SEI-2005-SR-003, 1-Aug-2005 [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1184/R1/6585212.v1. [Accessed: 12-Sep-2026].
Pomeroy-Huff, Marsha, Julia Mullaney, Robert Cannon, Mark Sebern, and Watts Humphrey. "The Personal Software Process (PSP) Body of Knowledge, Version 1.0." (SEI Report CMU/SEI-2005-SR-003). Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Software Engineering Institute, 1 Aug. 2005. https://doi.org/10.1184/R1/6585212.v1. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.
Pomeroy-Huff, Marsha; Mullaney, Julia; Cannon, Robert; Sebern, Mark; & Humphrey, Watts. The Personal Software Process (PSP) Body of Knowledge, Version 1.0. CMU/SEI-2005-SR-003. Software Engineering Institute. 2005. DOI: 10.1184/R1/6585212.v1. https://doi.org/10.1184/R1/6585212.v1