To help create the laboratory environment to benefit both the research and the development aspects of software engineering, the Experience Factory concept was created. The Experience Factory represents a form of laboratory environment for software development where models can be built and provide direct benefit to the projects under study. It represents an organizational structure that supports the QIP by providing support for learning through the accumulation of experience, the building of experience models in an experience base, and the use of this new knowledge and understanding in the current and future project developments.