This chapter discusses the various plans needed to guide the process improvement effort, and a few approaches to tracking the tasks involved. While the CMMI considers process descriptions and procedures to be part of the "plan" needed for each process area, this chapter defines a plan as the strategy necessary to prepare the organization for process improvement. Processes and procedures are discussed in Chapter 16.

Defining Plans

CMMI requires a "plan" for every process area (PA). However, these plans incorporate not only what one would normally expect in a plan (activities, timeframes, general approach and strategy, estimated resource expenditures), but also what used to be called "procedures" (see Chapter 14 for a discussion of procedures). To add greater value to your Process Improvement (PI) program, we have separated these concepts. In reality, it does not matter whether you call these documents "plans," "procedures," "George," or "Shirley," as long as you generate some documentation that covers these concepts.

A plan is not a schedule. It is the documented strategy necessary to perform work. It generally includes a definition of the scope of the work, the resources needed, why the work is to be done, how the work will be tracked, how it will be reviewed, schedules, and costs. It also includes an explanation of why the work was planned the way it was, so that if errors occur or project managers change, the plan can be understood and updated to promote project continuation.

There are three types of plans in process...