CMM and CMMI: A Comparison and Evaluation Of the Benefits of Integrated Approach.

Model based process improvement involves the use of a model to guide the improvement of an organization’s processes. Essentially, process capability is the inherent ability of a process to produce planned results. As the capability of a process increases, it becomes predictable and measurable, and the most significant cause of poor quality and productivity are controlled or eliminated. By steadily improving its process capability, the organization matures. One means of achieving this focus has been the use of a capability model. Models provide a common set of process requirements that capture best practice and practical knowledge in a format that can be used to guide priorities. There are different model used in the industry for the process improvement, commonly and widely used is the CMM model for software. Recognizing the widespread use of CMMs through industry and the government, CMMI model was released in August 2000. This model provides an integrated approach across the enterprise for improving processes, while reducing the redundancy, complexity and cost resulting from the use of separate and multiple models. CMMI model is analogous to CMM model and this integrated model might receive the same criticism from the small organizations as more process areas have been added to the integrated model. As the model is very new there is growing concern among the industries about the scope and applicability of the model. This thesis discusses on these issues and provides a set of recommendations that might be helpful for the organizations to decide the applicability and the scope of the integrated model. Thesis gives a brief description about the two models, CMM and CMMI and also present some recommendations to be consider while making the transition from the currently used model to the integrated model

Migrating agile methods to standardized development practice

Situated process and quality frame-works offer a way to resolve the tensions that arise when introducing agile methods into standardized software development engineering. For these to be successful, however, organizations must grasp the opportunity to reintegrate software development management, theory, and practice

Capability Maturity Model Integration (Cmmi) for Small Organizations

Software Process Improvement (SPI) is a large area of expertise that deals with software development standard processes and is a progression of proven methods of process improvement from many different methodologies. Personal Software Process (PSP) and Team Software Process (TSP) complement the implementation of Capability Maturity Model Implementation (CMMI) and can be applied gradually from the individual, to the team, and then to the organization. These solutions from Carnegie Melon\u27s Software Engineering Institute (SEI) are leading edge for the field of process improvement. Solutions like this consume many resources, are very complex, require years to implement, and can be costly. The SEI solutions offer an industry standard for SPI. Three case studies were analyzed to provide insight into the benefits of CMMI for small organizations. Decisions that steer these solutions generally involve scheduling, quality, and cost. Depending on the individual needs of an organization, the CMMI technology can fulfill what is required. The example case studies were examined and concluded that given favorable conditions, implementing CMMI is feasible for small organizations

Assessment of factors affecting the software process improvement in small organizations

Software process improvement implies a set of complex and systematic activities of software engineering. It requires theory and models established in management, technical and social sciences. The improvement is based on the assumption that the organization if it owns mature and capable processes, would be able to deliver quality software on time and in line with predicted costs. The maturity models are initially aimed for implementation in enterprise software organizations, government organizations and within the military industry. Their complexity and the size make them difficult to use in small software organizations and companies. In such organizations the interest for use and the efforts to make an efficient and effective organization is always presented, though. In this paper, the basic and derived capability maturity models are described and cases from their implementation are analyzed, along with assessment of results of such projects in business practices. The problem of the software process improvement in small organizations is described, extracting the risks and recommendations for its enhancement. These recommendations are provided in order to set up a foundation for implementation of these models in a specific managerial and organizational environment characterized by small organizations

Validating adequacy and suitability of business-IT alignment criteria in an inter-enterprise maturity model

Aligning requirements of a business with its information technology is currently a major issue in enterprise computing. Existing literature indicates important criteria to judge the level of alignment between business and IT within a single enterprise. However, identifying such criteria in an inter-enterprise setting – or re-thinking the existing ones – is hardly addressed at all. Business-IT alignment in such settings poses new challenges, as in inter-enterprise collaborations, alignment is driven by economic processes instead of centralized decision-making processes. In our research, we develop a maturity model for business-IT alignment in inter-enterprise settings that takes this difference into account. In this paper, we report on a multi-method approach we devised to confront the validation of the business-IT alignment criteria that we included in the maturity model. As independent feedback is critical for our validation, we used a focus group session and a case study as instruments to take the first step in validating the business-IT alignment criteria. We present how we applied our approach, what we learnt, and what the implications were for our model

The adoption of software process improvement (SPI) program in the construction industry

Integrating the design process and automating the construction process are called for in the Industrialised Building System (IBS) Roadmap 2003-2010 and the Construction Industry Master Plan (CIMP) 2006-2015. Hence, the industry needs to improve the construction delivery process by having as many processes utilizing advanced IT/ICT technologies. With a goal of producing zero product failure and meeting the users’ requirement satisfaction, this is an initial study into automating the construction tasks by studying a systematic process management commonly used for software implementation. We present a feasibility study on the use of a Software Process Improvement (SPI) Program in an IT organization—assuming that the construction organization will become an implementer of computer-integrated procedures in the future. Based on a case study conducted at a local IT software company, it documents the implementation of a SPI program to improve the internal software process development. The study uses the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) from Software Engineering Institute as SPI framework and IDEAL model-SPI life cycle model for executing and managing SPI program. Results show that the SPI Program model is successful in terms of the IT organization increasing its work productivity, high end-user product satisfaction and reduction of software defects. The paper concludes with discussions on how we can bridge computer science approach into the construction industry, thereby contributing to the development of future theoretical and application methodologies towards applying IT/ICT initiatives in the local construction industry

Business-oriented Software Process Improvement based on CMM and CMMI using QFD

Software Process Improvement (SPI) has become the key to the survival of many software development organizations. Many international SPI models/standards are developed for SPI. The Capability Maturity Model (CMM) and Capability Maturity Model Integrated (CMMI)) from the Software Engineering Institute are two SPI models. In this study, several existing SPI models and approaches are reviewed, their advantages are identified, and their drawbacks are discussed. A set of new SPI frameworks integrating Quality Function Deployment (QFD) with both CMM and CMMI are developed by combining the best features of previous approaches and addressing their limitations --Abstract, page iii

Applying the Capability Maturity Model to Assurance of Learning

Assurance of Learning (AoL) focuses on the continuous improvement of curriculum development, program review, and, in many cases, accreditation. AoL programs are important for assessing undergraduate, masters, and/or doctoral degree programs, as well as the impact on curriculum management. A recent mandate from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) is the need for mature AoL processes to be in place. This paper describes the Capability Maturity Model (CMM) and discusses how it can be applied to assess the maturity and capability of any educational institution’s AoL initiative. An Aol-CMM model introduced and discussed in this paper can be used to assess an academic institution’s AoL maturity and then act as a road map to develop and align key processes to plan and advance to a higher level of AoL maturity. A set of AoL key processes at an AACSB accredited business school provides a backdrop and discussion to understand better the application of this CMM framework. This should be of interest and value since the model can be used by schools and programs with varying levels of process maturity and capability. Even institutions not interested in accreditation may find the application of a maturity model useful for improving academic excellence. Regardless, each school or program can assess its current state and then develop an evolutionary plan to reach the next higher level of AoL process maturity

Additional Costs And Risks In Software Acquisition Projects

Organizations usually contract their software projects to avoid the risks associated with developing the software internally and to control their costs. However, a study of two-dozen contracted project indicates that such organizations face unique risks and hidden costs that are particular to software aquisitions.  This paper describes research done to estimate the effort expended by organizations in overseeing and participating in contracted software projects and the implications for predicting costs and identifying risks of such projects. It presents a framework for collecting and measuring costs incurred before, during and after the contract award. For many of the organizations that participated in the survey, realizing the actual costs and  risks of a project was an eye opener – hidden costs and risks  are significant and they are typically not managed.  The research results emphasize  the need for institutionalizing processes for the collection of data about contracting costs within an organization so that databases of metrics about completed projects can be built and later used to forecast costs for future projects to improve decision-making processes. The research results also emphasize the need to acknowledge the risks involved so  they can be mitigated to improve the relationship with the contracor and the chances for project success. The authors are engaged in research directed toward assisting such organizations in identifying the risks and costs and improving the acquisition process. &nbsp

Risks and Hidden Costs: A Study of 26 Outsourced Projects

Despite the current unfavorable outlook of the larger economy, there has been a steady increase in information systems outsourcing by organizations which is projected to reach $97.9 billion in 2012. Ordinarily, organizations outsource their software projects to avoid the risks associated with developing the software internally and to control costs. However, a study of twenty six outsourced projects indicates that such organizations face unique risks and hidden costs that are particular to software outsourcing. This paper describes research done to estimate the effort expended by organizations in overseeing and participating in outsourced software projects and the implications for identifying risks and predicting costs of such projects. For many of the organizations that participated in the survey, uncovering the actual costs and risks of an outsourced project was an eye opener: the hidden costs and risks are surprisingly significant and are typically not managed by the organization