Process Appraisals

Standard CMMI Appraisal Method for Process Improvement (SCAMPI)
and Custom Appraisals*

A process appraisal is an objective and practical method for evaluating and improving the development process. The purpose of an appraisal is to obtain consensus on the strengths and weaknesses of the engineering, service and management practices of an organization. It also provides an objective benchmark against the practices of the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) CMMI (CMMI).

Everyone has his or her own idea of how the development process can be improved. Because of this, there can be disagreement about how to proceed, and this in itself hinders progress. An appraisal provides focus on the strengths and critical areas to improve.

The Process Group appraisals have the following features:

• Each appraisal is scoped to meet the needs of the organization.
• An appraisal team is formed and trained in the appraisal method (e.g., SCAMPI Class A* or informal appraisal). (The team comprises of typically 4-8 members selected from the client organization and an SEI authorized lead appraiser from The Process Group.)
• The Process Group provides briefings on the appraisal method to the appraisal participants.
• Senior management is involved in the appraisal process to ensure buy-in of the results.
• The findings of the appraisal are developed during the appraisal period with significant involvement of managers, engineers, QA and project leaders of the organization.
• The findings are mapped to the business goals of the organization (optional step). This helps ensure that improvement priorities are in alignment with business needs.
• The final appraisal results are presented to the management team and appraisal participants on the last day of the appraisal.
• Our lead appraisers do not overly focus on rote CMMI compliance and excessive process documentation. Focus is placed on the organization obtaining the intended benefit from the CMMI practices.

After an appraisal, your organization will have:

• An organization-wide consensus on the strengths and most crucial engineering and project management problems through participation of managers and engineers in determining key issues and setting priorities.
• A common framework, for both managers and engineers, to improve the process with an SEI maturity level rating.
• The foundation for a tailored improvement plan designed to raise the level of your engineering excellence.

If your organization could benefit from any of the above objectives, we can show you how easily and quickly they can be achieved.

*Custom Class B (informal reduced scope) and Class C (gap analysis) appraisals can also be provided. These appraisals typically vary from 1-5 days and provide the organization (or selected project teams) with feedback on their current CMMI implementation.

THE PROCESS GROUP

The Process Group principals are trained and authorized by the SEI to perform CMMI appraisals. Since 1989, they have been appraising organizations using the SEI appraisal process (previous SPA and CBA-IPI methods for CMM). [Neil and Mary are also certified SEI SCAMPI High Maturity Lead Appraisers. Neil is certified for CMMI-Services appraisals.]

Neil and Mary have helped more than 120 organizations implement various CMMI (and CMM) levels and practices. Their appraisals have included a wide variety of industries, such as telecommunications, real-time embedded, information systems, defense, and desktop applications. (See testimonials.)

In addition to this, we also offer consultation services that are designed to provide your organization with tangible results, and public speaking engagements that help you understand how your organization can improve its development process.

 

Process improvement planning

The Process Group recommends 2-3 days consulting assistance to help develop a process improvement plan following an appraisal. This plan is based on the findings from the appraisal, the business goals of the organization and the criteria for the next SEI level (if that is desired).

Reference Materials:

The Process Group book: "Making Process Improvement Work - A Concise Action Guide for Software Managers and Practitioners," Addison-Wesley, 2002.

SCAMPI Method Description v1.2:

http://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/abstracts/reports/06hb002.cfm

CMMI models: http://www.sei.cmu.edu/cmmi/tools/

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