Measurement & Analysis Courses

Measurement and analysis training presents best practices for gathering data about products, processes, and projects and analyzing that data to influence your actions and plans. These courses provide you with practical applications of tools like Six Sigma and project management that can have immediate use in your workplace.

Improving Process Performance Using Six Sigma

This five-day course takes a hands-on, problem-solving approach to data analysis, providing participants with a toolkit of analysis methods and leveraging industry best practices such as Six Sigma and Goal-Driven Software Measurement.

Designing Products and Processes Using Six Sigma

This five-day course takes a hands-on, measurement-oriented approach to product development, providing participants with a toolkit of analysis methods and leveraging industry best practices, such as the Design-for-Six-Sigma methodology of DMADV (Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, Verify) and CMMI High Maturity. This course builds upon basic statistical concepts from the Improving Process Performance Using Six Sigma course. More advanced and powerful analytical methods are introduced through short lectures and extensive hands-on practice sessions using problems traditionally faced by new product development teams. Participants learn a framework in the form of tools, methods, and practices for analyzing data to make more informed business decisions about project management (quality, schedule, and cost) and process and product performance. The ways in which these quality measurement practices relate to improvement models such as the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) are also discussed.

Implementing Goal-Driven Measurement

This three-day course teaches managers and practitioners how to identify and define indicators (i.e., graphical displays) and measures that directly support an organization's business, process improvement, and project goals. The methods taught are relevant to product development, process improvement, and project management. Using lectures and exercises, participants learn how to determine success, progress, and analysis indicators that show traceability from an organization's high-level business goals right down to the precise data collected, ensuring relevance and traceability from goals to data. Participants also learn how to define measures and indicators that are aligned with the organization's business processes and support the measurement requirements of the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Measurement and Analysis process area. With useful examples, real-life experiences from the field, and a class notebook filled with helpful checklists, templates, and reference materials, participants walk away with the tools necessary to lead goal-driven software measurement processes at their own organizations.

Analyzing Project Management Indicators

This three-day course teaches managers and practitioners how to use measurement as the foundation for making informed decisions about projects. Participants learn to use measurement to analyze project performance, manage schedules and resources, and communicate project status and changes. Instructors emphasize the role of metrics in planning technical work, integrating related business goals, and addressing stakeholder issues in an overall project plan. The first half of this course focuses on the use of measures to monitor performance, support decisions, and manage supplier agreements. The second half of this course covers problem diagnosis and response. In addition to data-driven planning and tracking, participants learn how to establish quantitative objectives for performance and quality and align them with their business objectives.

Implementing Goal-Driven Measurement Instructor Training

This three-day course is for those interested in becoming SEI-Certified Instructors of the Implementing Goal-Driven Measurement course. This course introduces a method for identifying and defining indicators (i.e., graphical displays) and measures that directly support an organization's business goals related to product development, process improvement, and project management. This instructor training course is composed of lectures and participant presentations of Implementing Goal-Driven Measurement course material. Candidate instructors must demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the Goal-Driven Measurement method and have effective instructional and facilitation skills. Other required qualifications are specified at http://www.sei.cmu.edu/certification/measurement/igdm/.

Improving Process Performance Using Six Sigma Instructor Training

This two-day course is for those interested in becoming SEI-Certified Instructors of the Improving Process Performance Using Six Sigma (IPPSS) course. The IPPSS course introduces a method for driving improvement based on performance using a method and toolbox originating with the Six Sigma DMAIC paradigm. This instructor training course is composed of lectures and participant sharing of experience, analogies and "war stories" of topics taught within the IPPSS course material. Candidate instructors must demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the IPPSS material and have effective instructional and facilitation skills. Other required qualifications are specified at http://www.sei.cmu.edu/certification/measurement/ippss/. A number of pre-course exercises must be submitted to determine if applicants are prepared to take this course.

Designing Products and Processes Using Six Sigma Instructor Training

This two-day course is for those interested in becoming SEI-Certified Instructors of the Designing Products and Processes Using Six Sigma (DPPSS) course. The DPPSS course introduces a method and toolbox originating from the Design-for-Six-Sigma paradigm called Define-Measure-Analyze-Design-Verify (DMADV). The method can be used for designing products and processes based on performance. This instructor training course is composed of lectures and participant presentations of DPPSS course material. Candidate instructors must demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the DPPSS material and have effective instructional and facilitation skills. Other required qualifications are specified at http://www.sei.cmu.edu/certification/measurement/dppss/.

Performance-Driven Improvement "Define" Workshop

This one-day facilitated workshop provides hands-on coaching in the implementation of the tools and techniques from the "Define" phase of the Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC) Six Sigma business improvement methodology, as taught in the SEI Improving Process Performance Using Six Sigma course. This just-in-time workshop will help you jump-start major business improvement projects for either software process improvement or specific software product improvement.

Performance-Driven Improvement "Measure" Workshop

This one-day facilitated workshop provides hands-on coaching in the implementation of the tools and techniques from the "Measure" phase of the Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC) Six Sigma business improvement methodology, as taught in the SEI Improving Process Performance Using Six Sigma course. This just-in-time workshop will help to accelerate the "Measure" phase activity of major business improvement projects for either software process improvement or specific software product improvement.

Performance-Driven Improvement "Analyze" Workshop

This one-day facilitated workshop provides hands-on coaching in the implementation of the tools and techniques from the "Analyze" phase of the Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC) Six Sigma business improvement methodology - as taught in the SEI Improving Process Performance Using Six Sigma course. This workshop is intended to be a just-in-time workshop to accelerate the "Analyze" phase activity of major business improvement projects for either software process improvement or specific software product improvement.

Performance-Driven Improvement "Improve" Workshop

This one-day facilitated workshop provides hands-on coaching in the implementation of the tools and techniques from the "Improve" phase of the Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC) Six Sigma business improvement methodology, as taught in the SEI Improving Process Performance Using Six Sigma course. This just-in-time workshop helps to accelerate the "Improve" phase activity of major business improvement projects for either software process improvement or specific software product improvement. This workshop specifically helps improvement teams identify solutions using creative, out-of-the-box thinking techniques, followed by structured techniques to evaluate and select a solution from a set of alternative solutions. The workshop culminates with a measurement plan to support evaluation of a pilot of the solution, providing measurable impact of the solution to be compared to predictions made using prediction equations from the "Analysis" phase.

Performance-Driven Improvement "Control" Workshop

This one-day facilitated workshop provides hands-on coaching in the implementation of the tools and techniques from the "Control" phase of the Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC) Six Sigma business improvement methodology, as taught in the SEI Improving Process Performance Using Six Sigma course. This just-in-time workshop helps to accelerate the "Control" phase activity of major business improvement projects for either software process improvement or specific software product improvement.