Are you interested in improving the overall performance of your organization? Are you interested in starting an organizational process improvement program as part of this performance improvement effort? Or are you just looking to learn more about how CMMI or one of the other recognized PI standards, models or methods can contribute to better overall performance within your organization? The following gives information about CMMI-based process improvement and how it might be implemented within your organization either as part of an overall organizational performance improvement program or as a stand-alone process improvement effort.
Before you begin applying any PI model, standard or method to your organization, find out more about it. The Capability Maturity Model Integration page and this Adoption page are good starting points for finding information most relevant to your situation if you choose or are investigating the use of one or more of the CMMI Model(s). There are similar pages on this site to provide you with information specific to the other models, standards and methods (e.g. ITIL, ISO, Six Sigma and COBIT) commonly in use today. Bare in mind that organizations often utilize multiple complimentary models and methods to optimize their organizational performance. PI-21 can assist you to understand how this can be achieved without unnecessarily increasing implementation time, costs and/or effort.
Once you collect information about the available models and choose your PI model(s), you can begin the implementation steps. These steps are virtually the same for all PI models. But the example steps below are written as though CMMI were your single model of choice.
PI Implementation Steps
The following actions demonstrate the typical steps involved in implementing model-based process improvement. (Note: The steps and sequence may vary from organization to organization and may vary slightly from model to model. But PI-21's PI experts can assist you in selecting and/or implementing any of the major PI models, standards and methods that are in use today.):
- Secure Sponsorship and Funding
Before you begin your process improvement effort, ensure that your process improvement program has a senior management sponsor and funding. Such sponsorship and funding is critical to ensuring the program's success. PI-21 can help you to educate senior management about CMMI by presenting either a 4-hour CMMI Overview or a shorter (1 hour) CMMI Executive Overview presentation.
- Take Core Training
To understand basic concepts of the CMMI Product Suite, attend the Introduction to CMMI course which lays out the basic concepts of the CMMI model(s) you might choose to use within your organization. Then you may also choose to attend the CMMI Level 2 for Practitioners, which builds on the basic concepts learned in the Introduction course for implementing CMMI within an organization new to PI. The Introduction to CMMI course is currently offered by PI-21, the SEI, and by other members of the SEI Partner Network. The CMMI Level 2 for Practitioners course is currently offered by the SEI and will soon be offered by PI-21 too. - Prepare Your Organization for Change
For best results, your organization should treat process improvement as a project. Establish the business reasons and the business goals for the effort. Create a compelling case for change, including the rationale for the undertaking and the expected benefits and costs for the people affected. Develop a persuasive presentation of the problems and opportunities. You may choose to employ PI-21 to present our standard CMMI Overview presentation or a custom presentation designed specifically for your organization, or we can can assist you in the development of such a presentation if you feel you need the help. Key people involved in your organization's process improvement efforts, including key executives, should also take the current version of Introduction to CMMI course. - Form an Engineering Process Group
This group coordinates process improvement activities across the enterprise and exists for the duration of the process improvement activity. Members of the EPG, or whatever you choose to call it, can serve as process improvement champions and/or mentors for other key staff process users (practioners) within your organization. If the members of the Engineering Process Group are new to process improvement, members should consider taking the "CMMI Level 2 for Practitioners" course as well as the "Defining Software Processes" or "Mastering Process Improvement" courses which are offered by the SEI if extra knowledge is desired. - Know Where You Are
Map CMMI best practices to your organization's EXISTING processes and do an informal gap analysis (e.g., SCAMPI C) to determine how your processes compare to CMMI model practices. Do a survey to gather data from managers, project leads and workers to gauge cultural opportunities and barriers to change. Build a detailed picture of the present. PI-21's experienced PI professionals can assist you in any aspect of this effort if you want or need help in completing this step. - Know Where You Are Going
Using the same format as the picture of where you are, create a picture of where you want to be. Characterize the success you want before you begin. Get a balanced view from management, project leaders and staff about what they think is most important. Each will have different objectives they want to achieve. Prioritize the process areas to address and build your improvement plan. Track your progress against the plan. - Communicate and Coordinate
You must have honest and open communication. Share the plan with everyone who will be affected and listen to their comments. - Track Your Progress
Compare the picture of where you are to the one of where you want to be. The difference between the two is the focus of your process improvement program. Create a periodic (e.g., monthly, weekly) report that demonstrates your program's progress in reaching its (and the organization's) goals. You can also have a PI-21 SEI-Certified Lead Appraiser conduct an appraisal, which will provide an objective evaluation of your organization using the SCAMPI method and one or more CMMI model(s). For more information about SCAMPI appraisals, see Appraisal Services.
If you have questions or comments, send email to info@pi-21.com.
