CMMI Enhances Organizational Capabilities

Quality of Business Processes Underlie Product Quality Assurance

Jul 16, 2009 Gopinathan Thachappilly

Whether a business produces a product or renders a service, it is the business processes that determine performance levels in such areas as quality, timeliness, and cost.

Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) is an approach to improve organizational processes. CMMI replaced CMM that was developed primarily to assess software contractors' performance. The processes adopted by software developers when computers appeared on the scene were rather chaotic, and project failures and failure to deliver solutions in time were common.

Capability Maturity Model

CMM was developed by Software Engineering Institute- SEI- at Carnegie Mellon University in the US. SEI was an initiative of US Defense Department to control software development processes of the contractors. The approach recognizes that processes gain maturity as organizations gain experience in carrying them out.

CMM recognized five levels of maturity:

1. Initial: Ad-hoc and undocumented practices tend to be the characteristic of initial efforts at a new process.
2. Repeatable: In the second stage, some of the processes can be repeated with consistent results. However, process discipline still left much to be desired.
3. Defined: Sets of processes are standardized and documented, and implemented uniformly across the organization.
4. Managed: Management gains control over the processes using relevant metrics. Adaptation of the processes to different situations without affecting results becomes possible.
5. Optimized: Focus is on incremental and innovative changes to improve process performance.

While focus on process models improved process performance, organizations faced problems because multiple models were in operation in the same organization. Integrating the models can make training, appraisals and process improvement activities more effective. It is in this context that CMMI - Capability Maturity Model Integration - began to replace CMM.

Typical Symptoms that Signal the Need for CMMI

The following symptoms indicate a lack of mastery over business processes, and signal the need for a CMMI appraisal:

• Failure to meet commitments or cost overruns in meeting them
• Management does not have a clear idea of what is going on at ground level
• Too many defective products or customer complaints
• Employees are frustrated and do not know how to meet management expectations (or even what the expectations are)

The CMMI Process

The basic assumption underlying CMMI approach is that it is business processes that underlie costs, timely work completion and quality levels. Processes enable people and technology to work together efficiently and produce desired results. Even the best people and latest technology cannot achieve much if good processes are not present.

Business processes consist of work practices. The CMMI appraisers use the organization's documents and interviews with personnel to create models of existing work practices, thus gaining insights into the organization's past experiences. Existing models are then appraised to improve them and take process maturity to the next higher level.

There is a conscious emphasis that all business processes must be aligned to the organization's business objectives. It is this integration that is a distinctive characteristic of CMMI.

The CMMI approach is a rigorous approach and requires formal and intensive training. The Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University licenses partner organizations to offer training courses and appraisal services for CMMI. Individuals are trained by SEI or a partner organization to become a SCAMPI Lead Appraiser. It is these lead appraisers who help business organizations adopt the CMMI approach of business process improvement.

Unlike ISO 9001, there is no CMMI certification as such. Instead CMMI provides a framework for developing process models, training materials and appraisal methods, which together constitute the CMMI product suite.

CMMI is a rigorous approach to business process improvement. In addition to appraising and improving individual processes in different areas, there is an emphasis on aligning all business processes with the organization's business objectives. Process models based on best practices, training materials and appraisal methods constitute the core of CMMI. The CMMI approach has delivered substantial benefits in terms of costs, time schedules, quality levels, productivity and employee morale.

The copyright of the article CMMI Enhances Organizational Capabilities in Business Management is owned by Gopinathan Thachappilly. Permission to republish CMMI Enhances Organizational Capabilities in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

CMMI Benefits

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Comments

Jul 20, 2009 5:41 AM

Guest :

Some good <a href="http://www.executivebrief.com/process">articles on CMMI </a> and <a href="http://www.executivebrief.com/process">process improvement</a> can be found in this <a href="http://www.executivebrief.com">project management resource</a>.

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