SEI CMMI Services

Since 1992, Q/P has delivered Software Engineering Institute (SEI) CMM and CMMI services for the transformation of the software process. The consultants who lead the CMMI training and appraisals were in the first group of lead assessors to be trained and authorized when the SEI commercialized its software process assessment services in 1990.

These consultants are also SEI-certified SCAMPI High Maturity Lead Appraisers authorized to lead efforts for organizations seeking to achieve CMMI Level 4 or 5.

Since the release of the SCAMPI methodology, these consultants have conducted more than thirty Class A SCAMPI appraisals ranging in scope from Level 2 to Level 5, and numerous Class B and C SCAMPI appraisals.

The quality of a software product is only as good as the process used to develop and maintain it.  Whether a software organization is competing in the marketplace or trying to satisfy internal requirements, its software process is a critical success factor.  Well thought out improvements to the process will significantly contribute to the organization's performance.

Q/P packages its CMMI expertise and knowledge into custom programs tuned to the special needs of each client organization.  We offer services that include:

• CMMI-Based Process Assessments
• Training: Intro to CMMI v1.2 Courses
• CMMI education for management and/or staff
• CMMI implementation consulting
• Assistance with the internal sales and marketing of CMMI (a no-fee service, only reimbursement of travel expenses is requested)

A Software Process Assessment is a catalyst for initiating meaningful process improvement and can help your organization break through the barriers that constrain quality and productivity. It will allow your organization to establish and focus a process improvement program that will result in:

• Higher quality software
• Lower development and maintenance costs
• Reduced cycle time
• Higher customer satisfaction

The assessment evaluates one or more CMMI process areas using information collected from presentations, documents, and interviews. Q/P's assessment services include both a comprehensive SEI-Authorized SCAMPI Assessment and a short-cut approach. Both are based on the Software Engineering Institute's (SEI) widely-accepted Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI). This model characterizes how a software organization matures, or improves, in its ability to develop software, and serves as a framework for becoming a world-class software organization.

Each process assessment is structured to ensure that aspects of software development that are unique to your organization or industry are addressed. For example, an assessment in a commercial software organization may focus the examination on the process for incorporating customer feedback in product design.

Q/P conducts a process assessment as a collaborative effort, involving your organization's software professionals in all assessment activities so that all participants gain a common understanding of the current software process and reach consensus on the critical process issues.

After conducting training in the CMMI and the assessment methodology, Q/P will lead your organization's assessment team through an intense period of fact-finding, analysis, and review of issues. The effort will conclude with a presentation of findings to senior management and participants.

What can you expect from a Software Process Assessment?
At the completion of an SEI CMMI Assessment you will have:

• Objective findings that identify the strengths and weaknesses of the current software process.
• A profile of the current process relative to the CMMI.
• A sound basis for developing an improvement plan.

This intensive three-day course introduces managers and practitioners, appraisal team members, and process group members to the foundational concepts of the CMMI. The course is taught by an SEI-certified instructor, and is composed of lectures and class exercises with plenty of opportunities for participants to interact with the instructor.

Course materials are included in the course fees, and include a handout of the SEI Authorized class slides, a course completion certificate provided by the SEI, and a hard-cover book: CMMI: Guidelines for Process Integration and Product Improvement.

Q/P can tailor a CMMI overview session for any audience and depth of detail. Each session covers common background material and provides an appropriate overview of CMMI, but can go into more detail with specific coverage of topics relevant to the target audience.

Who should attend? Anyone sponsoring, championing, implementing, or supporting software process improvement. Anyone who desires a high-level understanding of CMMI, either to decide whether to pursue CMMI based improvement, or to gain foundational knowledge for a role in CMMI-based software process improvement.

It could be argued that the CMMI training and assessments are the easy part. The real challenge for many organizations involves implementing changes to address the recommendations that come from the assessments. These changes usually involve process modifications and implementations, establishing a measurement system, establishing/changing roles and responsibilities, assessing and implementing tools, and breaking down the barriers to various groups working together.

QP offers a range of CMMI implementation support including:

• Training the implementation team in effective change leadership
• Providing training in sample implementation models for each CMMI Process Area
• Providing mentoring and check point reviews for the implementation team
• Leading or guiding the design and implementation of the measurement system
• Leading the implementation effort

After observing that the push for CMMI-based software process improvement often starts in an organization as a grassroots effort, Q/P developed an approach to increase the chances those efforts will gain senior management support.

Since these grassroots efforts often have limited resources, Q/P offers these marketing services with no consulting fee. Only reimbursement of travel expenses is required.

This internal marketing support includes:

• Training in the basics of internal selling and marketing
• Development of an internal CMMI sales and marketing plan
• Development of sales and marketing materials
• Development of a benefits case for CMMI-based improvement
• Performing a brief organizational diagnostic exercise to demonstrate the need for process improvement

For organizations who wish to improve their software process, Q/P Management Group offers SEI Assessment PLUS, a unique service that brings together two powerful and complementary methods for improving quality and productivity - an SEI Assessment to help your organization determine where it must focus its process improvement efforts, and a Software Measurement Baseline to establish a foundation for quantifying quality and productivity improvements.

PLUS: Software Measurement Baseline
A Software Measurement Baseline quantifies current quality and productivity levels and provides a basis for tracking the impact of improvement initiatives. The baseline methodology utilizes proven techniques to statistically measure the output and quality of the software development process. The techniques used include function point analysis, cost of quality statistics, defect measurement, and user satisfaction surveys.

The resulting baseline can provide your organization with:

• Productivity rates of development, enhancement, and maintenance projects
• Quality ratings for projects and applications
• User satisfaction ratings for projects and applications
• Cost of quality measures
• Software portfolio size and valuation

This baseline, in conjunction with the SEI Assessment, identifies improvement opportunities, justifies new initiatives, and allows you to quantify productivity and quality gains.

Call us at +1 781-438-2692 or use Q/P's response form to request more information. Click here and indicate your organization's interests and/or questions using the 'Subject' and 'Text' sections.