TABLE OF CONTENTS Whether you are using the CMM for Software, the CMMI , ISO, or any other process-focused guidelines, this chapter is for you. This chapter presents the four basic phases of process improvement:
Set Up: establishing a process improvement group and organizational infrastructure. This includes baselining your processes, initial planning, and securing funding and commitment throughout the organization.
Design: writing policies and procedures, and identifying and writing standards and processes.
Pilot: training participants and trying out the procedures in a few areas. The procedures are then updated, as necessary, based on the results of the pilots.
Implement: following the procedures on all projects and measuring their effectiveness.
Set Up, or initiation, involves selling the concept of process improvement to the organization, planning the effort, securing funds and staff, and structuring the effort. Most organizations become aware of process improvement through conferences, books, articles in industry magazines, or, most prominently, when achieving maturity levels becomes the basis for contract award. An individual is usually chosen as the "champion," who literally promotes the process improvement effort throughout the organization. This promotion may entail doing research on Return on Investment (ROI), budget allocations within the organization, and cost-benefit analyses. For those of you tasked with this responsibility, the SEI (Software Engineering Institute) provides information on its Web site, www.sei.cmu.edu. While the information on this Web site changes from time to time, you can find data under "Community Profiles" and under the Publications directory.
After the executives have been...
