Implementation
This topic contains questions and answers about implementing CMMI models.
Contents:
- What help is available for interpreting CMMI models?
- How do I select an SEI Partner?
- How do I tailor the model correctly?
- How long does it take for a process to be considered institutionalized?
- Can small maintenance deliveries meet lifecycle requirements?
- Can cross-PA processes satisfy generic practice 3.2, Collect Improvement Information?
- What is the difference between generic practice 2.8, Monitor and Control the Process, and 2.10, Review Status with Higher Level Management?
- Does Validation apply to intermediate work products?
- What does generic practice 2.2, Plan the Process, require and how does it relate to planning and strategy specific practices?
- Is an independent quality assurance group required?
What help is available for interpreting CMMI models?
Articles, papers, presentations, and FAQs about various aspects of CMMI are available on the CMMI Web site at http://www.sei.cmu.edu/cmmi/adoption/.
return to top
How do I select an SEI Partner?
Visit the SEI Partner Network Directory at http://partner-directory.sei.cmu.edu/ to search for SEI Partner organizations. You can search for Partners by name, services provided, or by location. Many Partners provide CMMI training service, SCAMPI Lead Appraiser services, and additional process improvement assistance.
The SEI does not recommend a particular SEI Partner organization or their employees. Your decision should be based on discussions with the partners that you contact. If you have a question about whether an organization you are working with is an authorized member of the SEI Partner Network, check the directory. If they do not appear, contact SEI Customer Relations at customer-relations@sei.cmu.edu for more information.
return to topHow do I tailor the model correctly?
The best time to get help in tailoring a CMMI model correctly is in the early stages of CMMI adoption. A process improvement consultant can help you.
To interpret CMMI practices, consider the overall context in which these practices are used and determine how well these practices satisfy the goals of a process area within that context. CMMI models do not imply which processes are right for the organization or project. Instead, CMMI models establish minimal criteria to meet in planning and implementing processes selected by the organization for improvement based on business objectives.
Organizations adopting CMMI must use professional judgment to interpret CMMI practices. Although process areas describe behavior that may be exhibited in any organization, practices must be interpreted using an in-depth knowledge of the CMMI model being used, the organization, the business environment, and the specific circumstances involved.
CMMI practices purposely use nonspecific phrases such as "relevant stakeholders," "as appropriate," and "as necessary" to accommodate the needs of different organizations or projects. Specific needs may also differ at various points during a project's life.
Organizations map their processes to CMMI process areas and use this mapping to track their level of conformance to the CMMI model they are using. Typically, there is not a one-to-one correspondence between the CMMI process areas and an organization's processes.
return to topHow long does it take for a process to be considered institutionalized?
There is no simple answer to this question because organizations change as their marketplace changes to remain competitive and different markets change at different rates, but for example, six months is typically insufficient to firmly establish new processes that can be comprehensively appraised.
From the perspective of a SCAMPI appraisal team, the more relevant issue is not how long, but to what extent the processes and procedures have been implemented and how confident the appraisal team is that these processes and procedures will persist.
Organizations with institutionalized processes have the infrastructure and feedback mechanisms needed to support both the persistence and consistency of processes and procedures, and to easily improve these processes and procedures when appropriate. However, to help ensure that process maturity and capability does not erode over time, organizations are encouraged to carefully monitor process compliance and the deployment of the set of standard processes across the organization.
return to topCan small maintenance deliveries meet lifecycle requirements?
The answer depends on your business and your organization's business objectives. Consider which improvements to both operations and maintenance activities will bring the greatest benefit to the organization. How important is it to the success of the business that
- "small maintenance deliveries" are performed correctly and efficiently?
- operations are performed correctly and efficiently?
If maintenance activities matter significantly more to the business than operations, then improvement efforts might focus on maintenance. There is often a service-level agreement defining what level of service must be sustained. (This may mean that you want to treat the maintenance activity as a service and use [or in addition, use] the new CMMI for Services model when it becomes available.)
If you use the CMMI for Development model, the maintenance activities could be collectively treated as a single overarching project. Individual maintenance deliveries above a certain size or criticality could be treated as subprojects. There could be one lifecycle for the overarching project identifying when major reviews of the level of service delivered would take place; and another lifecycle model identifying the phases of an individual critical maintenance delivery.
If operations matter significantly more to the business than maintenance, then improvement efforts might focus on operations. Likewise, the overall set of activities in the operation could be treated as a single overarching project. Individual transactions or components of the operation above a certain criticality may benefit from individual planning and monitoring as subprojects. There would again be one lifecycle model for this overarching project identifying major milestones and when major interactions or reviews with the customer might take place. There is often a natural sequence to some of the activities in an operation (e.g., the handling of customer order forms, product installations, end-user questions, and change requests). Additional lifecycle models based on these natural sequences might facilitate planning, monitoring, and controlling transactions or components of the operation above a certain criticality.
Most likely, both operations and maintenance will be critical to the business. The improvement opportunity that results is a combination of the two special cases considered above. The organization's set of standard processes would cover maintenance as well as operations. Either separate lifecycle models or a single merged lifecycle model would be used, depending on whether the operations and maintenance activities are focused on the same product and on how they depend on each other. Conversely, if there are no significant dependencies between operations and maintenance, then there might be some benefit to treating these as separate organizational units.
In summary, whether "small maintenance deliveries" satisfies the intent of a full product lifecycle depends on an analysis of what is critical to the organization and where the greatest opportunity lies for process improvement.
return to topCan cross-PA processes satisfy generic practice 3.2, Collect Improvement Information?
Yes. Generic practice 3.2, "Collect work products, measures, measurement results, and improvement information derived from planning and performing the process to support the future use and improvement of the organization's processes and process assets." can be performed using a single process that collects artifacts and information from multiple process areas. A separate collection process for each process area is not required. A "cross-PA" approach is consistent with the intent of generic practice 3.2 and is a good example of an effective and efficient approach to its implementation.
return to topWhat is the difference between generic practice 2.8, Monitor and Control the Process, and 2.10, Review Status with Higher Level Management?
If you contrast generic practice 2.10 and generic practice 2.8, you can see that the focus of generic practice 2.8 is on the performance of the process and involves the immediate level of management; while the focus of generic practice 2.10 is on implementation of the process and the results of that implementation and involves reviews held with higher level management.
The purpose of the reviews described in generic practice 2.10 is to provide higher level management with insight into whether the planning and performance of the process is consistent with senior management expectations (as communicated in policies; see generic practice 2.1). These reviews will typically touch on any noteworthy process performance issues identified through the monitoring and review activities described in generic practice 2.8 and process implementation issues identified via objective evaluation activities described in generic practice 2.9.
return to topDoes Validation apply to intermediate work products?
The Validation process area applies to both the finished product and intermediate work products.
The focus of validation is whether the product or product component, as provided (or as it will be provided), will fulfill its intended use in its operational environment. In many cases, validation of product components will occur on intermediate work products early in the lifecycle to ensure that the product meets its intended use. In rare cases acceptance testing may be an adequate implementation of this process. Also see the When does Validation (VAL) occur in the product development lifecycle? FAQ for more information.
return to topWhat does generic practice 2.2, Plan the Process, require and how does it relate to planning and strategy specific practices?
Every process area has a generic practice (GP 2.2) that addresses planning. Generic practice 2.2, "Establish and maintain the plan for performing the process," addresses the planning of the overall process for a particular process area. The purpose of this generic practice is to determine what is needed to perform the process and achieve the established objectives, prepare a plan for performing the process, prepare a process description, and get agreement on the plan from relevant stakeholders.
In some process areas (Causal Analysis and Resolution, Integrated Project Management, Organizational Innovation and Deployment, Organizational Process Focus, Organizational Training, and Risk Management), there are specific practices that cover plan or strategy development. Where there are such specific practices, GP 2.2 addresses overall planning for the entire process area, whereas the specific practices address more detailed and focused planning. In these same process areas, the elaboration that accompanies GP 2.2 explains the differences between the generic practice and the specific practice.
return to topIs an independent quality assurance group required?
Independence is not required; however, objectivity is required. For a more detailed explanation, see the Introductory Notes of the Process and Product Quality Assurance process area.
return to topIf you have a question that is not answered within this FAQ, check the CMMI FAQ Main Page or send email to an SEI person at cmmi-comments@sei.cmu.edu. You will receive a response within 48 hours.