What does the data mean?

"When you make the finding yourself -- even if you're the last person on Earth to see the light -- you'll never forget it."

-- Carl Sagan

A couple of years ago, your boss asked you to lead a software process improvement (SPI) initiative to reduce cycle time and improve quality while still meeting customer commitments to cost and functionality. After you updated your résumé and pondered the impossibility of the mandate, you decided to step up to the challenge (at least until your income tax refund arrived).