3 CMMI® Views

Rick HefnerDirector, Process Assurance

Northrop Grumman Corporation

Southern California SPIN4 June 2010

2

Background

• Many published results show improved cost and schedule performance from adopting CMMI®

• Despite these results, there is still community debate over the value of CMMI®, and whether CMMI® ratings provide sufficient guarantees of program performance.

• This program will explore three factors contributing to the confusion:– Inaccurate CMMI® ratings– Over-estimating the benefits that CMMI® provides a customer– Contractors not living up to their CMMI® rating

Agenda

Underlying CMMI® Principles

• CMMI® relationship to productivity, predictability and speed

Does CMMI Benefit the Customer?

How Projects Fail

How to Get Contractors to Live Up to Their CMMI Ratings

3

SM SCAMPI, SCAMPI Lead Appraiser, and SEI are service marks of Carnegie Mellon University. ® Capability Maturity Model Integration and CMMI® are registered in the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.

Projects Have Historically Suffered from Mistakes

Reference: Steve McConnell, Rapid Development

People-Related Mistakes 1. Undermined motivation 2. Weak personnel 3. Uncontrolled problem employees 4. Heroics 5. Adding people to a late project 6. Noisy, crowded offices 7. Friction between developers and customers 8. Unrealistic expectations 9. Lack of effective project sponsorship 10. Lack of stakeholder buy-in 11. Lack of user input 12. Politics placed over substance 13. Wishful thinking

Process-Related Mistakes14. Overly optimistic schedules 15. Insufficient Risk Management16. Contractor failure Insufficientplanning 17. Abandonment of planningunder pressure 18. Wasted time during the fuzzy front end 19. Shortchanged upstreamactivities 20. Inadequate design 21. Shortchanged qualityassurance 22. Insufficient managementcontrols 23. Premature or too frequentconvergence 25. Omitting necessary tasks from estimates 26. Planning to catch up later27. Code-like-hell programming

Product-Related Mistakes28. Requirements gold-plating 29. Feature creep 30. Developer gold-plating 31. Push me, pull me negotiation32. Research-orienteddevelopment

Technology-Related Mistakes 33. Silver-bullet syndrome 34. Overestimated savings fromnew tools or methods 35. Switching tools in the middleof a project 36. Lack of automatedsource-code controlStandish Group survey

of 13,000 projects (2003)• 34% successes• 15% failures• 51% overruns

Standish Group survey of 13,000 projects (2003)• 34% successes• 15% failures• 51% overruns4

Many Approaches to Solving the Problem

• Which weaknesses are causing my problems?• Which strengths may mitigate my problems?• Which improvement investments offer the best return?

People

Product

Technology

Tools

ManagementStructure

BusinessEnvironment

Process

Methods

One solution!

5

Approaches to Process Improvement

Data-Driven (e.g., Six Sigma, Lean)

• Clarify what your customer wants (Voice of Customer)– Critical to Quality (CTQs)

• Determine what your processes can do (Voice of Process)– Statistical Process Control

• Identify and prioritize improvement opportunities– Causal analysis of data

• Determine where your customers/competitors are going (Voice of Business)– Design for Six Sigma

Model-Driven (e.g., CMM®, CMMI®)

• Determine the industry best practice– Benchmarking, models

• Compare your current practices to the model– Appraisal, education

• Identify and prioritize improvement opportunities– Implementation– Institutionalization

• Look for ways to optimize the processes

6

What Is the CMMI® Trying to Achieve?

A model is a simplified representation of the world. Capability Maturity Models (CMM ®s) contain the essential elements of effective processes for one or more bodies of knowledge. These elements are based on the concepts developed by Crosby, Deming, Juran, and Humphrey.

-Introduction, CMMI ®

• CMMI® provides a model of industry best practices

• Following these practices has shown to produce software and systems faster, better, and cheaper, when properly applied

• The main benefits cited by CMMI® users are:– More predictable adherence to budgets and schedules– Reduced re-work (which can reduce cost and schedule)– Reduced risk7

How Do Mature Processes Help?

• Process maturity gets at one source of the problem, e.g., – Are we using proven industry practices?– Does the staff have the resources needed to execute the

process?– Is the organization providing effective project support?

• The main benefits typically seen are:– Improved predictability of project budgets and schedules– Improved management awareness of problems– Reduced re-work, which improves predictability, cost, and

schedule

J. Herbsleb and D. Zubrow, “Software Process Improvement: An Analysis of Assessment Data and Outcomes”– 13 organizations– ROI of 4:1 to 9:1– Improved quality, error

rates, time to market, productivity

J. Herbsleb and D. Zubrow, “Software Process Improvement: An Analysis of Assessment Data and Outcomes”– 13 organizations– ROI of 4:1 to 9:1– Improved quality, error

rates, time to market, productivity

R. Dion, “Process Improvement and the Corporate Balance Sheet” ROI of 7.7:1: Reduced re-

work, improved quality Two-fold increase in

productivity

R. Dion, “Process Improvement and the Corporate Balance Sheet” ROI of 7.7:1: Reduced re-

work, improved quality Two-fold increase in

productivity

8

Agenda

Underlying CMMI® Principles

Does CMMI Benefit the Customer?

• Cost of implementing CMMI-compliant processes

• Timelines for impacting program performance

• Practical tips and techniques for realizing the benefits

How Projects Fail

How to Get Contractors to Live Up to Their CMMI Ratings

9

SM SCAMPI, SCAMPI Lead Appraiser, and SEI are service marks of Carnegie Mellon University. ® Capability Maturity Model Integration and CMMI® are registered in the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.

CMMI® Provides Several Related Benefits

10

Project Performance Organizational Performance

Quality/Rework Institutionalization

Rick Hefner, “Achieving the Promised Benefits of CMMI,” CMMI Technology Conference & User Group, Denver, CO, 14-17 Nov 2005

Project Performance

• Identifies the elements of good planning– Proven engineering

processes– Estimates based on

historical data, using these processes

• When cost/schedule pressure arises, CMMI® practices track and correct– Reactive (L2)– Proactive, risk management

(L3)– Quantitative management

(L4)• QA, management ensures

processes/plans are followed

• Project performance problems often arise because of incomplete or unrealistic planning– Forgotten activities– Unconscious decisions– Overly-optimistic estimates

• When cost/schedule pressure arises, people abandon the plans, leading to more problems– Individual judgment versus

best use of resources

Train project managers on how to use the tools (estimation, earned value, risk management)

Project managers (not organizational staff) must be responsible for implementing the improved processes

Demand realistic, data-driven estimates

CMMI

11

Organizational Performance

• Standard organizational process, tailored to fit each project– Can be documented,

trained, supported by templates

– Over time, people learn the process

• Common processes/measures allow better use of historical data– Calibrate cost estimation

models– Project to project

comparisons– Over time, the organization

can optimize the process

• Each project’s processes are unique– Personnel must re-learn with

each project– Difficulty moving people from

project to project– Historical data of little use in

estimation• No way to compare project-to-

project– Which process was best?– What did we learn?

Develop an organizational process(es) which fits the full range of your projects (small/large, all life cycles and project types)

Capture and use historical data (measurement repository) Capture and share project documents (process asset library)

CMMI

12

Rework/Quality

• A disciplined engineering and management process– Do it right the first time– CMMI identifies the essential

steps• Peer reviews find defects early,

where it is cost effective to fix them– Requirements, designs,

code, plans, etc.– Often more efficient and

effective than testing– Many types (Fagan

inspections, walkthroughs, desk checks, etc.)

• Focus on “faster and cheaper” leads to skipping of essential steps– Key steps are not obvious,

often counter intuitive• Fixing latent defects often

accounts for 30-40% of project cost– The cost of defects (rework)

is seldom measured

Focus on eliminating defects, not on faster and cheaper Measure the cost of finding and fixing defects Invest time in learning different methods of peer review and

when each is effective

CMMI

13

Institutionalization

• Short-term investment for long-term gain– Initial investment in the

cost of change, learning curve, new overhead structures

– Long-term benefits in increased productivity

• Organizational infrastructure exists to support the policies and process– Measurement repositories

• Some improvement efforts focus on quick fixes– Driven by yearly budget

cycles– Expectation that results will

be immediate• It is tempting to reduce

overhead to reduce cost– Training– Staff support to projects– Use of outside process

experts

Expect 18-24 months before benefits begin to be realized Senior management must demand that everyone follow the

new processes QA can be the organization’s strongest tool – if they are

focused!

CMMI

14

Benefits

• The typical benefits are:– Reduced cost– Faster schedules– Greater productivity– Higher quality– Increased customer satisfaction

• Over 40 published studies on the benefits of SW-CMM®

– DoD DACS website: http://www.thedacs.com/databases/roi/

• Similar results starting to be seen for CMMI®

– “Demonstrating the Impact and Benefits of CMMI: An Update and Preliminary Results,” Software Engineering Institute, CMU/SEI-2003-SR-009, Oct 2003

– http://www.sei.cmu.edu/cmmi/results/results-by-category.html

15

16

Typical CMMI Benefits Cited in Literature

• Reduced Costs– 33% decrease in the average cost to fix a defect (Boeing)– 20% reduction in unit software costs (Lockheed Martin)– Reduced cost of poor quality from over 45 percent to under 30 percent

over a three year period (Siemens)– 10% decrease in overall cost per maturity level (Northrop Grumman)

• Faster Schedules– 50% reduction in release turnaround time (Boeing)– 60% reduction in re-work following test (Boeing)– Increase from 50% to 95% the number of milestones met (General

Motors)

• Greater Productivity– 25-30% increase in productivity within 3 years (Lockheed Martin,

Harris, Siemens)

• Higher Quality– 50% reduction of software defects (Lockheed Martin)

• Customer Satisfaction– 55% increase in award fees (Lockheed Martin)

Cost vs. Benefit

• Both theoretical models and industry data suggests that CMMI-compliant projects achieve a cost reduction of 10% per level, i.e., Level 3 is 20% cheaper than Level 1– The key is reducing rework

• Knox Model – Theoretical Benefits

17

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Co

st a

s a

Pe

rce

nt o

f D

eve

lop

me

nt

1 2 3 4 5 SEI CMM Level

Prevention Appraisal Int Failure Ext Failure TCoSQ

COCOMO predicts similar benefits

based on current industry data

When Good Organizations Go Bad

• Some organizations are driven to achieve a maturity level only for it’s marketing value

Focus on passing the appraisal, not understanding and deciding among possible interpretations

Improvement goals are not set realistically (“Level 5 in ’05”)

Practitioners/customers perceive CMMI as more expensive

Only some of the projects participate in the improvement effort

The remaining projects don’t implementOnly some of the projects get appraised

People don’t learn or become proficient in the new behaviors

Insufficient resources (e.g., training, QA, metrics, consultants)

Benefits are not realized because projects do not start up effectively

Management doesn’t enforce using processes on new programs

Rick Hefner, “CMMI Horror Stories: When Good Projects Go Bad,” Software Engineering Process Group Conference , 6-9 March 200618

What Does a CMMI Level Guarantee?

Decisions made on the basis of maturity level ratings are only valid if the ratings are based on known criteria.

- SCAMPI A Method Description Document

• A CMMI appraisal indicates the organization’s capacity to perform the next project, but cannot guarantee that each new project will perform in that way

• The CMMI methodology assumes the organization will propagating their processes to every new project – An organization that gets appraised solely to demonstrate a

maturity level might not have that intent– Organizations may not have developed the skills to roll out their

processes effectively

• A CMMI appraisal judges the maturity of the organization’s processes – based upon the projects sampled– New projects must embrace the new processes19

How Does Level 4 & 5 Benefit the Customer?

Organizational process performance

More accurate estimates

Quantitative project management

Problem behaviors are recognized faster, enabling quicker resolution

Organizational innovation and deployment

The project benefits from improvements found and proven on other projects

Causal analysis The project fixes the source

of defects to prevent future defects

Better Products and Services Produced Faster And CheaperBetter Products and Services Produced Faster And Cheaper

Rick Hefner, “How Does High Maturity Benefit the Customer?,” Systems & Software Technology Conference, 18-22 April 200520

The Project Manager’s Dilemma at Level 3

I want to use the organization’s standard process, but…

… Does it’s performance and quality meet my customer’s expectations?

… If not, how should I tailor the process?

21

22

Understanding the Process

Managing by Variation

• How many errors are typically found in reviewing an interface specification?

• Useful in evaluating future reviews– Was the review effective?– Was the process different?– Is the product different?

109876543210

15

10

5

0

Observation NumberIn

div

idua

l Valu

e

I Chart for Errors

Mean=4.799

UCL=12.30

LCL=-2.705

AverageExpectedVariation

Corrective and preventative actions

Typical Choices in Industry

• Most customers care about:– Delivered defects– Cost and schedule

• So organizations try to predict:– Defects found throughout the lifecycle– Effectiveness of peer reviews, testing– Cost achieved/actual

(Cost Performance Index – CPI)– Schedule achieved/actual

(Schedule Performance Index – SPI)

23

Defect Detection Profile

0.00

20.00

40.00

60.00

80.00

100.00

120.00

140.00

160.00

180.00

Req'mts Design Code Unit Test Integrate Sys Test Del 90 Days

Phase

Def

ects

/KS

LO

C

All Projects

New Process

What Can a Level 4 Organization Do?

• Determine whether processes are behaving consistently or have stable trends (i.e., are predictable)

• Identify processes where the performance is within natural bounds that are consistent across process implementation teams

• Establish criteria for identifying whether a process or process element should be statistically managed, and determine pertinent measures and analytic techniques to be used in such management

• Identify processes that show unusual (e.g., sporadic or unpredictable) behavior

• Identify any aspects of the processes that can be improved in the organization's set of standard processes

• Identify the implementation of a process which performs best

24

Lessons Learned

Based on over 20 Northrop Grumman CMMI Level 5 organizations

• Six Sigma is an enabler for higher maturity– Focus on data, measurement systems, process

improvement– Tying improvements to business goals– Tools and methods support the Level 4/5 analysis

tasks

• Level 3 metrics, measurement processes, and goal setting are generally inadequate for Levels 4 and 5– Better definitions of the measures– Lower level metrics of lower level subprocesses

• Having all the tools at Level 5 gives you the insight to manage each project the way the customer needs it to be managed

25

Agenda

Underlying CMMI® Principles

Does CMMI Benefit the Customer?

How Projects Fail

• Start up problems

• Appraisal inaccuracies

How to Get Contractors to Live Up to Their CMMI Ratings

26

Where Could Problems Arise?

• The projects within the organization may not live up to the capability– Start-up problems with planning, subcontractors, and

infrastructure– Problems with staffing, either as the prime or with

subcontractors– Differences in domain experience– Back-sliding

• The appraisal results may not be an accurate reflection of the organization’s capability– Sampling bias– Appraisal inaccuracies– Organization’s inability to immediately apply their appraised

processes

• Note that all of these problems are equally possible with both the staged and continuous representations

27

The First Three Months: Essential Project Start-Up Activities

• Many process-related problems arise in the first few months of a project– New relationships are established– Personnel changes and shortfalls– Pressure to produce quickly– Gaps between the planned processes and what was bid

• If a project is going to live up to the organization’s process capability, it is essential to fully implement the processes from the beginning– Processes should be defined during the proposal, by tailoring

the organization’s standard process– Estimates should be based on historical data from the

organization’s measurement repository– Process assets (e.g., templates) should support detailed

planning to ensure consistency with the organization’s best practices

– Evidence reviews should be used to ensure CMMI compliance28

29

Preventing Back-Sliding

Commitment to Perform

Ability to Perform

Policies and sponsorship

Project and/or organizational resources

GP 2.1 Establish Organizational Policy

GP 2.2 Plan the ProcessGP 2.3 Provide ResourcesGP 2.4 Assign ResponsibilityGP 2.5 Train PeopleGP 3.1 Establish a Defined Process

Directing Implementation

Verifying Implementation

Managing performance of the process

Management review, process conformance

GP 2.6 Manage ConfigurationsGP 2.7 Identify/Involve Relevant StakeholdersGP 2.8 Monitor and Control the ProcessGP 3.2 Collect Improvement Info.

GP 2.9 Objectively Evaluate AdherenceGP 2.10 Review Status with Higher Level Management

• The CMMI generic practices ensure that processes are institutionalized – sustained over time

• The approach for implementing the generic practices must reflect:– Efficiency– Effectiveness– Applicability to ALL

projects

• Frequent appraisals can be used to assess the effectiveness of the institutionalizationGeoff Draper and Rick Hefner, “Applying CMMI Generic Practices with Good Judgment,” SEPG Conference, 2004.

Sampling Bias

The size and number of instantiations investigated should be selected to form a valid sample of the organizational unit to which the results will be attributed.

- SCAMPI A Method Description Document

• The Lead Appraiser is permitted to select sample projects as “representative” of the organization as a whole– Little guidance in the MDD– Wide variation among Lead Appraisers

• If an organization is only interested in a good appraisal result, they will appraise large organizations with a handful of samples, and/or exclude/hide inferior projects

• This potential abuse exist with both staged and continuous representations

30

The remaining projects don’t implementOnly some of the projects get appraised

Organizational Sampling

• An organization with 50 projects at multiple sites may select 4-5 sample projects

• Are the appraisal results representative of the organization?

31

Sampled projects

Appraisal Inaccuracies

• Methodology– SCAMPI A appraisals are the only approach that provides

benchmark quality appraisal results– SCAMPI B, C, and other appraisal methods may be useful, but

they are not designed to provide the same accuracy

• Appraiser Skill– There is wide variation in appraiser skill, experience and insight– Although appraisal experience is a crucial contributor to

accuracy, the appraisal methods do little to ensure sufficient experience

– There is also wide variation in how the model is interpreted

• Appraiser Independence– Appraiser independence in needed to ensure unbiased results– It is difficult to establish a completely independent situation

32

Fiction or Non-Fiction: How to Read Appraisal Results for Fun and Profit

The ADS is a summary statement describing the appraisal results that includes the conditions and constraints under which the appraisal was performed. It contains information considered essential to adequately interpret the meaning of assigned maturity level or capability level ratings.

- SCAMPI A Method Description Document

• The Appraisal Disclosure Statement (ADS) provides keys to assessing an appraisal’s accuracy– Organizational unit appraised (the unit to which the ratings are

applicable and the domains examined)– Appraisal team leader and appraisal team members and their

organizational affiliations– Process areas rated and process areas not rated– Dates of on-site activity

• Not included - sampling approach or percentage of projects sampled33

How to Write a Better RFP

Acquirers seeking to ensure that the proposed project will implement mature practices should request the following:

• SCAMPI A Appraisal Disclosure Statement– Organizational unit appraised – Appraisal team leader affiliation – Process areas rated and not rated– Dates of on-site activity

• Explanation of sampling approach used in appraisal

• Approach to be used to ensure proper project start-up

• Data to demonstrate the speed with which new projects adopt and execute the organization’s processes

• Approach to be used to prevent back-sliding34

Agenda

Underlying CMMI® Principles

Does CMMI Benefit the Customer?

How Projects Fail

How to Get Contractors to Live Up to Their CMMI Ratings

• Contenders and Pretenders

35

Background

• There is a marked difference between organizations that truly want to implement CMMI®, and those who simply want a “certificate”

• Contenders invest time and energy on understanding the industry best practices in the model, fitting them to their projects and organization, and improving their effectiveness and efficiency

• Pretenders simply do enough to convince an appraiser to give them the maturity level -- along the way, they de-motivate their staff with bureaucratic processes, disappoint their customers with inconsistent performance, and generally give the model a bad name

36

Where Could Problems Arise?

Assuming the contractor’s CMMI® rating is accurate, and applicable to the team doing the work,

where could problems arise?

• Areas outside of the CMMI®

• Start-up problems

• Back-sliding

37

38

Areas Outside of the CMMI®

Process

TechnologyDomain-specific

MaturityTools

PeopleDomain knowledgeSufficient quantity

Motivation

39

Top Five System Engineering Issues

1. Lack of awareness of the importance, value, timing, accountability, and organizational structure of SE on programs

2. Adequate, qualified resources are generally not available within Government and industry for allocation on major programs

3. Insufficient SE tools and environments to effectively execute SE on programs

4. Requirements definition, development and management is not applied consistently and effectively

5. Poor initial program formulation

“Top Five Systems Engineering Issues In Defense Industry”, NDIA Systems Engineering Division Task Group Report, Jan, 2003

40

Top Software Engineering Issues

1. The impact of requirements upon software is not consistently quantified and managed in development or sustainment

2. Fundamental system engineering decisions are made without full participation of software engineering.

3. Software life-cycle planning and management by acquirers and suppliers is ineffective.

4. The quantity and quality of software engineering expertise is insufficient to meet the demands of government and the defense industry.

5. Traditional software verification techniques are costly and ineffective for dealing with the scale and complexity of modern systems.

6. There is a failure to assure correct, predictable, safe, secure execution of complex software in distributed environments.

7. Inadequate attention is given to total lifecycle issues for COTS/NDI impacts on lifecycle cost and risk.

“Top Software Engineering Issues In Defense Industry”, NDIA Systems Engineering Division and Software Committee, Sep 2006

41

Start-Up Issues

• Project Planning starts in the proposal phase, is refreshed at contract start, and re-occurs throughout the project lifecycle

• Contenders extend their CMMI practices to proposal teams and re-planning efforts

• Pretenders focus on contract start– Costs and schedules defined at proposals may be immature and

overly-aggressive– Re-planning may be ad hoc

• Mature estimates may also be overruled by business interests

42

CMMI® Project Planning - Goal 1

SG 1 Establish EstimatesEstimates of project planning parameters are established and maintained.

SP 1.1 Estimate the Scope of the ProjectEstablish a top-level work breakdown structure (WBS) to estimate the scope of the project.

SP 1.2 Establish Estimates of Work Product and Task AttributesEstablish and maintain estimates of the attributes of the work products and tasks.

SP 1.3 Define Project LifecycleDefine the project life-cycle phases upon which to scope the planning effort.

SP 1.4 Determine Estimates of Effort and CostEstimate the project effort and cost for the work products and tasks based on estimation rationale.

43

CMMI® Project Planning - Goal 2

SG 2 Develop a Project PlanA project plan is established and maintained as the basis for managing the project.

SP 2.1 Establish the Budget and ScheduleEstablish and maintain the project’s budget and schedule.

SP 2.2 Identify Project RisksIdentify and analyze project risks.

SP 2.3 Plan for Data ManagementPlan for the management of project data.

SP 2.4 Plan for Project ResourcesPlan for necessary resources to perform the project.

SP 2.5 Plan for Needed Knowledge and SkillsPlan for knowledge and skills needed to perform the project.

SP 2.6 Plan Stakeholder InvolvementPlan the involvement of identified stakeholders.

SP 2.7 Establish the Project PlanEstablish and maintain the overall project plan content.

44

CMMI® Project Planning – Goal 3

SG 3 Obtain Commitment to the PlanCommitments to the project plan are established and maintained.

SP 3.1 Review Plans that Affect the ProjectReview all plans that affect the project to understand project commitments.

SP 3.2 Reconcile Work and Resource LevelsReconcile the project plan to reflect available and estimated resources.

SP 3.3 Obtain Plan CommitmentObtain commitment from relevant stakeholders responsible for performing and supporting plan execution.

45

Keys to Success

• Ask suppliers to show how they extend the CMMI practices to proposal activities

• Request planning documents with the proposal

• During re-planning, ask suppliers to show how they performed the CMMI practices

Back-Sliding: A Failure of Institutionalization

When mentioned in the generic goal and generic practice descriptions, institutionalization implies that the process is ingrained in the way the work is performed and there is commitment and consistency to performing the process.

An institutionalized process is more likely to be retained during times of stress.

Institutionalization: The ingrained way of doing business that an organization follows routinely as part of its corporate culture.

- CMMI-DEV v1.2

GG 2 Institutionalize a Managed ProcessGP 2.1 Establish an Organizational PolicyGP 2.2 Plan the ProcessGP 2.3 Provide ResourcesGP 2.4 Assign ResponsibilityGP 2.5 Train PeopleGP 2.6 Manage ConfigurationsGP 2.7 Identify and Involve Relevant

StakeholdersGP 2.8 Monitor and Control the ProcessGP 2.9 Objectively Evaluate AdherenceGP 2.10 Review Status with Higher Level

ManagementGG 3 Institutionalize a Defined Process GP 3.1 Establish a Defined ProcessGP 3.2 Collect Improvement Information46

47

Common Features – A Lost Perspective in CMMI ® v1.2!

48

Organizational Support

Contenders

• Fully support the CMMI ® -based improvement program by providing training, templates, tools, process assets libraries, measurement repositories and other work aids focused on improving the ability of practitioners to competently adopt the model

Pretenders

• Largely ignore organizational support, often to save money

• Where required by the model, they establish process asset libraries and measurement repositories, but they are largely shelfware

49

Organizational Infrastructure Required for CMMI® Level 3

Policies, Processes,Templates & Tools

Best-Practice Libraries

Process Group

Audits & AppraisalsMeasurement RepositoriesPredictive Modeling

Developing and maintaining mature processes requires significant time and investment in infrastructure

Developing and maintaining mature processes requires significant time and investment in infrastructure

Process ImprovementTraining Program

Communications

0

5

10

15

20

25

1 11 21 31 41 51 61 71

UCL

_X

Defe

cts

per

com

ponent

Component #

0

5

10

15

20

25

1 11 21 31 41 51 61 71

UCL

_X

Defe

cts

per

com

ponent

Component #

Organizational Culture

A pattern of shared basic assumptions that the group learned as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way you perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems.

• Artifacts– The practices that can be observed in such areas as dress code,

leadership style, communication processes

• Espoused values– The elements the organization says it believes in, the factors

that it says influence the practices in which it engages

• Basic underlying assumptions– Unstated beliefs the organization has come to accept and abide

by

50Organizational Culture & Leadership, Edgar H Schein, used with permission

51

Management Commitment and Support

• Understands the key messages

• Is willing to take actions to reinforce them

• Provides resources to support/sustain process improvement efforts

• Sets expectations that essential project functions will be funded and processes will be followed– Project planning, estimation, tailoring, CM, QA, etc.

• Supports process improvement and sustainment, rather than passing appraisals

• Rewards mature processes development and sustainment rather than individual heroics

Rick Hefner, “Sustaining CMMI Compliance,” 2006 CMMI Technology Conference and User Group

52

Keys to Success

• Ask suppliers to show how they perform the CMMI generic practices

• When problems occur, ask why the CMMI practices were not effective in sustaining the desired behavior, and what will be done to prevent future problems

53

Summary

• There is a marked difference between organizations that truly want to implement CMMI®, and those who are simply try to get a “certificate”

• By discussing the differences, we hope to help the CMMI® community the true value of CMMI®

54