What is CMMI Process Improvement and how to do it?

CMMI FAQ 0

24th April, 2013

As we all know CMMI Maturity Levels starts from Maturity Level 2 and goes up to Maturity Level 5. With each level some Process Areas (PAs) are added and with these PAs comes the additional responsibility of better integration between Team Members and Teams, Better Management Insight into the Project’s Health, Better results, More Customer Satisfaction. But all these are improvements depends on the Processes followed by Teams and Team Members. Better the Processes and Integration between Processes better the end results. For this CMMI suggests Process Improvement.

CMMI and Process Improvement

CMMI has categorised Process Areas related to Processes in the category of Process Management. Process Management process areas contain activities related to documenting, planning, deploying, monitoring, and improving processes.

In CMMI for Dev version 1.3 following Process Areas are available in Process Management category:

• Organizational Process Definition (OPD) (ML3)
• Organizational Process Focus (OPF) (ML3)
• Organizational Performance Management (OPM) (ML5)
• Organizational Process Performance (OPP) (ML4)
• Organizational Training (OT) (ML3)

As we can see here Process Improvement focus starts with Maturity Level 3 with the Definition/Defining of the Processes at the Organizational Level (OPD) and starts focusing Process Improvement (OPF) at organizational level and also provides Organizational Training (OT) related to Processes and their Implementation by different roles in the organization.

At Maturity Level 4, CMMI has Organizational Process Performance (OPP) Process Area that deals with the Process Performance through measuring the Performance using Statistical Tools like Minitab, Crystal Ball.

At Maturity Level 5, CMMI has Organizational Performance Management (OPM) that helps in the management of the organization’s performance to meet the business goals, proactively.

Process Improvement Steps

Broadly speaking Process Improvement in a CMMI Organization has following steps:

1. Documentation: Process Improvement starts with defining Processes and associated artifacts like Templates, Checklists, Guidelines, and Manuals etc.
2. Training: Providing Training to staff and different roles that will use these Processes and other artifacts.
3. Implementation: Starts implementing processes in projects.
4. Getting Feedback: Process Implementers provides their feedback and asks for changes/enhancement in the processes. Collect, Document and Evaluate these Change Requests. At High Maturity Levels i.e. 4 and 5 Statistical Tools are used to collect these improvement points.
5. Plan Improvement/Enhancements: Based on the evaluation and approval from Management, certain changes/enhancements are selected for implementation and a Process Improvement Plan is prepared for this.
6. Piloting: Certain Staff/Projects are selected to carry out these improvements.
7. Evaluate Improvements: Once improvements are done, they are evaluated for their benefits after certain period of implementation.
8. Organization wide rollout: Once satisfied with results these improvements are rollout at Org level and training are planned and provided to staff for these changes.
9. Support and Facilitation: Providing regular support and facilitation to process implementers.

How DQS India can help you in the CMMI Process Improvement?

DQS India has CMMI Consultants with expertise in the Process Development and Improvement for a CMMI Organization.

We provide guidance and support for all activities related to CMMI Process Improvement. We conduct Process Gap Analysis, Process Documentation, Maintenance, Training for Processes, Implementation Guidance and Evaluation, Comprehensive Process Improvement Planning, Piloting and Evaluation.

With our support you can be rest sure that your Process Improvement will move in the right direction with right thrust.

Contact DQS India

Interested in our CMMI Services, please contact:

RajendraKhare
MD
DQS Certification India Private Limited
Mobile: +91-9810268573
Phone:  +91-11-27025910
e-mail: rkhare@dqsindia.com
Please note: Email communication would be preferred mode of communication.
Reference Material taken from www.dqsindia.com