Process change does not come easily, and in most cases change is very slow. Yet in the fast-paced setting of today's computer environment, this is not acceptable. In the last two years, The Systems Storage Development - Systems Storage Division (SSD-SSD) of IBM has used a method for process change that has seen some quantifiable results toward product quality, even though the program is still in its infancy.

This methodology, called Orthogonal Defect Classification, results in defect reduction and preventive actions that are quantifiable.

This may be the first process methodology that can project improvement with certainty. This paper details what it took to implement ODC in a large programming organization.