The SEI Capability Maturity Model™

Understanding and using the SEI CMMI (3-day course)

Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this workshop you will be able to:

• Identify the benefits of process management and improving the system/software process
• Explain fundamental CMMI Concepts
• Explore the structure and organisation of the CMMI (staged and continuous)
• Interpret the meaning and requirements of the CMMI and its Process Areas as applied to your organisation/role
• Apply the CMMI as a practical framework for internal process improvement
• Develop a practical strategy/plan for your process improvement programme focusing on key improvements to support your business needs and involving the right people
• Successfully manage your Process Improvement project using a lifecycle approach
• Define your processes in a practical and usable way
• Apply process improvements and process management concepts to your development
• Describe options relating to CMMI-based appraisals (SCAMPI etc.)
• Estimate where your organisation lies on the maturity scale
• Apply lessons learnt from real world case studies

Workshop topics

This workshop covers the CMMI V1.1 (SW/SE/SS/IPPD) and both Staged and Continuous representations.

Introduction
The introduction establishes a common understanding of course objectives and explores student expectations.

The CMMI - Background and concepts/definitions
Characteristics of mature and immature organisations
Importance of having defined processes within an engineering organisation and the rationale for process improvement
Fundamentals of process improvement/management
Motivation for and history of the CMMs

Overview of the CMMI
CMMI disciplines - software, systems, supplier sourcing and IPPD
Process Area categories and interactions
Overview of Process Areas
Brief comparison with the software CMM (CMM-SW)

Exercises
Identification of participants's current process issues
Initial analysis in a CMMI context

The CMMI Structure
Staged and Continuous representation
Maturity levels and Capability levels
Process Areas, Specific and Generic Goals, common features, specific and generic practices, sub practices, etc.
Equivalent Staging (mapping between staged and Continuous representations)
Practical prioritisation of practice implementation
Exercise on structure

Understanding the Process Areas (emphasis on Maturity Level 2 and 3)

• Level 2 PA's (plus exercise)
  
• Level 3 PA's (plus exercise)
  
• Overview of Level 4 and 5 PA's
  

Exercise : PA interrelationships
Understanding how the PA's relate and depend upon one another

How to scale, interpret and apply the CMMI to your organisation
Scaling to project/organizational size
Interpreting the terminology and practices of the CMMI
How to apply the PA's in different organisational contexts
The importance of process architecture
Distinguishing between a lifecycle and process
Practical techniques (modified EITVOX) to rapidly define processes
Achieving lightweight useable process documentation

CMM in context
Using models in the real world
How does the CMMI model compare to other models?
Limitations of CMMI

Case studies and Appraisals
Costs and benefits of Process Improvement - making the business case Irish process improvement case studies - from level 2 to level 4
Why many process improvement initiatives fail
Examples of practical value of the CMMI to the organisation and the individual
CMMI-based appraisal options (SCAMPI Class A/B/C, alternatives)

Planning Effective Process Improvement Implementation
How to improve the process using CMMI
Issues involved e.g. business needs, cultural change
How to prioritise your improvement actions
Selection of suitable pilot projects
Process support tools
Resources, Methods and lifecycles for improving the process - useful samples, SEI's IDEAL method, the Rapid Performance Improvement (RPI) methodology

Lessons Learnt
Critical success factors

Implementation
Exercise- Participants identify workshop highlights, identify obstacles to implementation and plan their next steps