TABLE OF CONTENTS It is not uncommon to find multiple process improvement initiatives within even a moderately sized organization. These separate initiatives are going to be using different methods, techniques, and models as a basis for their work. Using the CMMI has the potential to bring together existing process improvement initiatives covering software engineering, systems engineering, and supplier sourcing activities within an organization.
Organizations that we work with have reported problems between groups because of the different maturity levels of their processes; different expectations from senior management; different levels of training; and a mismatch of policies, processes, and procedures. These problems are often more difficult to resolve because of the separate initiatives occurring at the same time within the organization.
This chapter covers some of the things to consider when combining or aligning multiple process improvement initiatives. The topics covered are process improvement team structure, integration of existing procedures, measurement program, and training program. Following the topics, example real-world scenarios are described.
We often find different groups working on process improvement activities in an organization. For example, an organization may have a Software Engineering Process Group (SEPG) for software processes, a Systems Engineering Process Initiative (SEPI) for systems engineering processes, and an Engineering Process Group (EPG) for processes covering other disciplines such as electrical, mechanical, safety, and reliability. In addition to these explicit process improvement groups, organizations may have other existing groups, such as Quality Improvement Councils, Business Re-engineering Teams, and Six Sigma programs.
Given this wide range...
