Process assessment for use in very small enterprises: the NOEMI assess-ment methodology

This paper relates to the development and the experimentation of an IT process assessment methodology especially designed to be used in very small enterprises (VSEs). This methodology, called NOEMI , has been developed as a critical part of a public research project of the Centre de Recherche Public Henri Tudor (Luxembourg). Initially the main objective of the NOEMI process assessment methodology was to contribute directly to the implementation of a collaborative IT-sourcing model, developed in the same re-search project. The process portfolio aims at a whole coverage of the usual IT-practices in VSEs. It is business value-driven and designed in five process areas: infrastructure, service support, management, security, and documentation. The processes themselves are based on a combined approach of ISO/IEC 15504 and the IT Infrastructure Library. The capability model defined in the NOEMI methodology explores the gap between level 0 and level 1 of ISO/IEC 15504 in order to match in a more accurate manner with the reality of VSEs. The capability profile has four levels and is performed for the process areas and not for the processes themselves, so allowing easy comparison between VSEs. We are now performing the seventh experimentation of the NOEMI assessment methodology. Each case has been a success according to the feedback of the VSEs. And we are considering the transfer of our methodology to French and Belgian partners through dissemination projects. It leads us to promote the NOEMI assessment methodology as a public package tool especially designed for use in a VSE context, which aims to enhance business value through IT. This paper introduces the methodology and considerations based on case studies.Assessment methodology, capability model, process portfolio, very small enterprise, service management, SPICE, improvement program, ITIL.

Definition and Validation of a Business IT Alignment Method for Enterprise Governance Improvement in the Context of Processes Based Organizations

These days, it is remarkable to note the growing of interest in professional responsibility. Specifically, the responsibility a person commits to when he or she performs a task. Based on a review of research currently performed in the field of policy (from corporate to technical ones), we observe that the perception of responsibility has often been limited to a combination of rights and obligations. In addition, we are seeing a re-emergence in business (for example, in the financial sector) of a belief that business ethics foundation can be improved and that a renewed focus in this area would help to prevent future breakdowns in the system. With regard to improving business/IT alignment and corporate ICT governance, it becomes increasingly important to define a commonly accepted personal responsibility model that embodies important and well-known concepts like accountability, capability and commitment. Moreover, because responsibility constitutes a fundamental notion of management theory, it is likewise identified as a meaningful bridge toward organizational artifacts. Exploiting process-based approach to define policy seems to offer new research opportunities since process-based organization becomes a continuous widely spread structure.ICT Governance, Responsibility model, Capability, Accountability, Commitment.

NOEMI, a collaborative management for ICT process improvement in SME: experience report

This paper relates to an R&D project – called NOEMI – aiming to propose to SME’s a collaborative management of their respective information systems in terms of quality, reliability and cost. The targeted SME are those without IT dedicated internal staff. The model developed in the project focuses on the usual IT activities of the SME’s, which are classified in five domains: infrastructure, support, management, security, and documentation. The NOEMI model has been successfully experimented with PME partners for validation pur-pose. This paper insists on the experimentation of the NOEMI model. The results are discussed and compared with other classical solutions usually encountered within IT practices of SME’s. The last part of the paper draws the perspectives opened with the model according to the results of its experimentation.IT Service Management, collaborative management, SME, process assessment, process improvement.