In my previous blog I mentioned that there are three choices for addressing the gaps from the process review.
Choice 1: document the processes yourself. This will depend on the personnel and time available to document the processes.
A concern I often hear is, “Do we have to write a New York City phonebook size process?” I don’t even think there is a New York City phonebook anymore, but I get their point. If a process is too difficult and/or time consuming to use, people are not going to use it, and this will defeat the purpose of processes and a process improvement program. Here’s what I recommend that has worked great in companies.
Create a high-level flowchart of each of the activities for an area of the lifecycle/company (proposal, requirements, planning, etc.). For each of the flowchart objects (activities) have that object linked to a detailed procedure/work instruction/template. This way an experienced person who has been with a company a long time, only needs to look at the flowchart to know what needs to be accomplished. Whereas a new person can click on the flowchart object and get the how-to details. This meets everyone’s needs without encumbering the company old timers with unnecessary process.
Choice 2: Hire someone, full or part time, to document the processes. The critical point here is to ensure that person actually talks with the people who perform the process to get exactly what they do and how they do it. Do NOT have this person create their own processes and give to the company personnel to perform. This will only create resentment and will ensure the processes are used in the future.
Choice 3: Purchase a tool that has processes that can be customized to the way your company performs the work. Similar to choice 2, the people actually performing the work need to be the ones customizing the processes. If you use this choice, you need to ensure that the tool contain a complete set a processes, procedures, and/or templates that are mapped to all the practices of the CMMI model. You don’t need to know this mapping, but the people who developed the tool need to know it so they will ensure all the CMMI practices are addressed.
Regardless which option who choose, you need to get a CMMI certified lead appraiser involved to ensure the processes you are creating or customizing are compliant with the model and address all the practices.
Choosing a lead appraiser will be the topic of my next blog.