Some CMMI Implementation Considerations for Small Projects

Tannis Clark, Corporate Quality Assurance

The first step to implement CMMI on a small project or within a small company is to provide an overview of CMMI, the benefits it will provide to the project and organization as a whole. The CMMI model is not easy to understand and it can be overwhelming to anyone first introduced to the concepts; therefore, it must be introduced in small portions to be successful.

There will ALWAYS resistance for any type of change. The typical reaction is “You’re asking me to do what????” “This isn’t going to help anything on our project, it’s going to take much longer to deliver our baseline.” “The customer doesn’t want all this paperwork!” “The customer wants us to get it done – not take longer.” “We don’t have to do this – it’s not in our contract!” The answer to this from the leaders in the organization should be: “It will cost less, take less rework, and provide a higher quality product to our customer.” In the long run the customer will be happy and send additional work to our organization.

A gap analysis based on the SCAMPI C type of appraisal needs to be performed to provide an understanding where the organization stands on repeatable processes. A site kick-off meeting covering the specific target Process Areas will be introduced to the team. A process improvement Action Plan should be developed. Weekly teleconference meetings need to occur, with face-to-face meetings monthly (depending on the organizations needs). Feedback and guidance of reviewed material needs to be part of these meetings with specific action items tracked and reviewed at each meeting.

The bottom line is – IT WORKS! The CMMI model implemented in organizations shows a proven track record of cost savings, time to deliver, and customer satisfaction. Just ask anyone that works for a high maturity organization – they will NEVER go back to working for an “Ad-Hoc” organization.

Biography:      

Tannis Clark has vast experience as the QA Manager for several major government contracts to ensure the required high quality of deliverables was met.  Ms. Tannis, has been active in Process Management Group (PMG) besides participating in SEI authorized SCAMPI appraisals.  She has developed and delivered numerous training courses in the software quality life cycle and process improvement.