cmmi for beginners - kms enterprises, incorporated · · 2015-03-05cmmi® for beginners ......

A Webinar Presented by

KMS Enterprises, Inc.Sharonlyne Graves, President

March 4, 2015

CMMI® for Beginners10 Tips for Success

® CMMI is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by Carnegie Mellon University.

© KMS Enterprises, Inc. 2015

Sharonlyne GravesPresident

KMS Enterprises, Inc.

• Company Description– Management consulting company incorporated in Maryland

in 1996– Small business, veteran-owned, woman-owned, minority-

owned– Licensed partner with Software Engineering Institute/CMMI

Institute since 2006

• Process Improvement Services using Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI)– Introduction to CMMI – 3-day class– Standard CMMI Appraisal Method for Process Improvement

(SCAMPISM) – Lead Appraiser and Appraisal Team Members– Consulting services – coaching for senior management,

process groups and practitioners; customized training

Introduction – KMS Enterprises, Inc.

SM SCAMPI is a service mark of Carnegie Mellon University.


• What is the CMMI?

• Benefits of CMMI

• Challenges of implementing CMMI

• 10 Tips for successful implementation of CMMI

• Questions

• Conclusion

Overview© KMS Enterprises, Inc. 2015

• A process model to use when developing and improving processes*– Consists of best practices

– Contains essential elements of effective processes

– Describes an evolutionary improvement path from ad hoc, immature processes to disciplined, mature processes with improved quality and effectiveness

What is the CMMI?

* The CMMI defines a “process model” as “a structured collection of practices that describes the characteristics of processes that have been proven by

experience to be effective.” -- Chrissis, Mary Beth; Konrad, Mike; & Shrum, Sandy. CMMI for Development, Guidelines for Process Integration and

Product Improvement, Third Edition. Boston: Addison-Wesley, 2011


• 3 constellations– Development – practices for

organizations that develop products

– Services – practices for organizations that deliver services

– Acquisition – practices for organizations that acquire products and/or services

• A constellation consists of the model itself, training, and the appraisal method

What is the CMMI?© KMS Enterprises, Inc. 2015

• Each model is comprised of process areas*– 16 are common to all 3 models– 1 is shared by the Development and Services models– Others are unique to a model

• Development – 5 engineering process areas• Services – 7 service-specific process areas• Acquisition – 6 acquisition-specific process areas

• Introduction to CMMI course provides an in-depth study of the process areas and related practices

What is the CMMI?© KMS Enterprises, Inc. 2015

* CMMI defines a “process area” as “a cluster of related practices in an area that, when implemented collectively, satisfies a set of goals

considered important for making improvement in that area.” -- Chrissis, Mary Beth; Konrad, Mike; & Shrum, Sandy. CMMI for Development,

Guidelines for Process Integration and Product Improvement, Third Edition. Boston: Addison-Wesley, 2011

Information about CMMI benefits is available in the August 2006 SEI technical report, Performance Results of CMMI-Based Process Improvement (CMU/SEI-2006-TR-004).

Business Goal Acheived

Lower Costs √

Greater productivity √

Higher quality √

On time delivery √

Satisfied customer √

• No research needed – best practices are provided

• Starting point for developing or improving processes is defined

• A means for assessing progress (SCAMPI) is provided

• Applicable across multiple disciplines

• Good return on investment has been demonstrated

Benefits of CMMI© KMS Enterprises, Inc. 2015

• Limited resources (funding, personnel, equipment, tools, facilities, etc.)

• Schedule constraints – “we only have time to do the real work”

• No process “champion”

• Lack of strong sponsorship

• “We’re doing just fine without it” mentality

• Too much focus on getting the maturity level rating

• Failure to realize the organizational benefits of process improvement

Challenges of Implementing CMMI© KMS Enterprises, Inc. 2015

• Know Where You Are and Decide Where You Want To Be– Answer these questions

• What are the business drivers? Why consider process improvement (PI) with CMMI?

• Has the organization undertaken a PI effort before? If yes, what was the outcome and what are the lessons learned?

• Does the organization develop products, deliver services, or acquire products/services?

• Does the organization have the resources necessary to be successful?

– Use the CMMI Institute’s Self Assessment Tool* to get an informal assessment of your organization’s capability

Successful CMMI Implementation – Tip #1© KMS Enterprises, Inc. 2015

* Website for CMMI Institute’s Self Assessment Tool: http://cmmiinstitute.com/assess-your-organizations-

capability?utm_source=SAT+announcement+email+to+Practitioners&utm_campaign=SATinternalannounce&utm_medium=email

• Establish Commitment of Senior Management – Identify a sponsor

– Identify organizational goals and objectives

– Establish priorities

– Provide adequate resources for the PI effort

– Actively participate in the effort by asking for regular updates on its status

– Reward “good” behavior; take action when there is “bad” behavior


• Contact a Certified Lead Appraiser Early– Answers many questions and eliminates unknowns

– Conducts an initial assessment (SCAMPI C or gap analysis) of organizational processes and identifies areas of needed improvement

– Assists with identifying organizational objectives and scope

– Helps develop a realistic and reasonable PI plan

– Prevents “false starts”

– Performs periodic progress checks

– Conducts the SCAMPI A appraisal


• Identify Those Who Are Accountable– Assign a process “champion” to manage

the entire PI effort and track progress

– Each process should have an owner (i.e., someone who is responsible for creating, documenting, and revising the process)

• Owner should be knowledgeable in the process (ideally, someone who performs the process)

• Multiple people may be responsible for a single process


• Treat the PI Effort as a Project/Work Group– Prepare and maintain a PI Plan, budget,

schedule, and Practice Implementation Indicator Description (PIID)*

– Train manager and team/group members (e.g., Introduction to CMMI)

– Identify and document existing processes; create new ones as needed

– Monitor and track your progress against the PI Plan, budget, schedule, and PIID


* The PIID is a tool used to map documents and other data to the practices in the CMMI model. It is typically prepared prior to an appraisal and provided to

the appraisal team during an appraisal.

• Establish and Maintain the Data Repository– Structure, contents, and strategy for managing data are

defined in a data management plan

– Accessible by everyone in the organization• Everyone will not have access to everything in the repository

• Access may be defined by person’s role and need to know

– Organized in a manner that is easy to:• Understand, navigate, and locate data

• Change as necessary

– Used to store all relevant data


• Encourage Involvement– Ask for feedback from people performing the

processes– Acknowledge suggested improvements– Keep people informed regarding implementation of

improvements– Involve as many staff members in the PI effort as

possible• Peer reviews of processes• Membership in the process group• Membership in process action teams• Peer mentoring/coaching


• Stand-Up Quality Assurance ASAP– Includes evaluation of products, services,

and processes against established standards and procedures*

– Identifies noncompliance issues and opportunities for improvement

– Facilitates adoption of processes, standards, and procedures

– Provides management with information needed to take corrective action early


* Note: Quality Assurance, as defined in the CMMI, is not testing.

• Establish a Strong Training Capability– Prepare a training plan (may by part of the project/work plan)

• Training resources

• Process and role-based training

– Provides a clear understanding of organizational processes

– Helps with institutionalization of processes

– Ensures that personnel understand their role and job responsibilities

– Execute the training plan• Conduct training sessions

• Maintain training records

• Evaluate effectiveness of training


• Don’t Give Up!– Process improvement with CMMI

is an on-going effort• Patience• Repetition• Training/Mentoring/Coaching• Progress checks

– Action Plan Reappraisal (APR)• Available if the desired rating is not

achieved during a SCAMPI A appraisal

• Up to 4 months to address weaknesses


• CMMI is a model comprised of best practices; it is not your organization’s processes

• 3 broad areas of interest are addressed: Development, Services, and Acquisition

• The benefits are real; good return on investment has been demonstrated

• Resources are available to help you get started– Training (Introduction to CMMI, customized courses)

– CMMI Institute’s Self Assessment Tool

– SCAMPI to baseline existing practices and monitor progress

Summary© KMS Enterprises, Inc. 2015

• 10 Tips for Success– Know Where You Are and Decide Where You Want To Be

– Establish Commitment of Senior Management

– Contact a Certified Lead Appraiser Early

– Identify Those Who Are Accountable

– Treat the PI Effort as a Project/Work Group

– Establish and Maintain the Data Repository

– Encourage Involvement

– Stand-Up Quality Assurance ASAP

– Establish a Strong Training Capability

– Don’t Give Up!

Summary© KMS Enterprises, Inc. 2015

• If you would like to speak with Sharon about CMMI training or appraisal services and/or your process improvement effort, please contact her at:

[email protected] ext. 303

• Any questions not answered during this webcast will be addressed in the next 2 – 3 days via email

Questions?© KMS Enterprises, Inc. 2015

mailto:[email protected]

Thank you for attending today’s webcast.

• Watch for the KMS e-newsletter with announcements regarding future webcasts:– What is the PIID? – Why It is so Important– Everything the Sponsor Needs to Know – About CMMI Appraisals– Quality Assurance – The Organization’s Eyes and Ears– The Perfect (Maybe “Good” is a Better Word) Project Plan

• Follow KMS Enterprises, Incorporated on Facebook and LinkedIn

• Download a copy of this presentation and get additional information on our website at www.kmscorp.com

• Please give us your feedback in the post-webcast survey and share this presentation with your colleagues

Conclusion© KMS Enterprises, Inc. 2015

http://www.kmscorp.com/

cmmi for beginners - kms enterprises, incorporated · · 2015-03-05cmmi® for beginners ......

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