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Project Suite Process Area Defined Program
Don O'Neill Independent Consultant
(301) 990-0377
ONeillDon@aol.com
Project Suite
Process Area
Defined Program
FEATURING:
SEI Capability Maturity Model Integration
Identification of Process Area Teams
Project Suite Process Area Roll Out Program
Process Area Assessment Method
Oversight
IMPROVEMENT GOAL
Improving productivity and quality, shortening schedules, reducing costs, and achieving higher customer satisfaction are best achieved indirectly by establishing an effective infrastructure of software process improvement. This is the responsibility of the Software Engineering Process Group. The Project Suite Process Area Defined Program is the SEPG leadership program.
BACKGROUND
The sluggish improvement in software process maturity revealed in the Software Engineering Institute's software process assessment history reflects the difficulty experienced by organizations striving to achieve higher maturity levels. While much is made of the need for senior management sponsorship, very real problems lie with the change agents and the target projects. Change agents often lack the readiness to roll out the the key process areas for the software process maturity level being sought. Target projects may lack the sustained focus needed to adopt the many management and engineering practices required. The result can be an organization anchored at the present level.
DESCRIPTION
The Project Suite Process Area Defined Program provides a breakout strategy that overcomes these obstacles to software process improvement. First, this program provides a mechanism for assessing the readiness for rolling out a process area. Second, it defines the Project Suite of Process Areas and a method for assessing the adoption status of each project for each process area. Third, it provides the means to oversee the organization software process activities.
TEAM ORGANIZATION
The software process improvement resources are organized into four process area teams. The level 2 and level 3 process areas are grouped as follows:
Project Management KPA Team
1. Project Planning
2. Project Monitoring and Control
3. Supplier Agreement Management
4. Integrated Project Managememt
5. Risk Management
Engineering Team
1. Requirements Management
2. Requirements Development
3. Technical Solution
4. Product Integration
5. Verification
6. Validation
Process Management Team
1. Organization Process Focus
2. Organization Process Definition
3. Organization Training
Support Team
1. Configuration Management
2. Process and Product Quality Assurance
3. Measurements and Analysis
4. Decision Analysis and Resolution
PROJECT SUITE PROCESS AREAS
Description
The Project Suite packages the well defined process areas needed to establish the enterprise software project culture and to set the standard of excellence for enterprise software products. These process areas import the best industry practice needed by the project in the creation and evolution of software products along with the knowledge, skills, and behaviors for their expert use.
The process areas include the management of requirements and their configuration management; planning and tracking project cost, schedule, quality, and resources; engineering of software products and their inspection by peers; measuring the leading software indicators of project performance; and the management of software risk.
Roll Out Program
The Roll Out Program for each process area is a structured process of activities with review milestones for learning about the process area, training practitioners and their managers, documenting the preferred organization practice, assessing the progress of transitioning the process area into practice, coordinating the support resources for the process area, and analyzing results.
The Roll Out Program is organized as an extended life cycle, not simply an event. Just as a good design spans an architectural space and is not simply a point design, the Roll Out Program allows for variation and the adaptation needed to obtain a good fit within the culture and operation of the target organization. This is accomplished through a clear understanding of the principles that are hard coded and the adaptation parameters that can be instantiated for best fit on a project or within an organization.
1. Data Collection
2. Synthesis
3. Handbook
4. Policy
5. Procedure
6. Training Materials
7. Conduct Training
8. Process Area Assessment
9. Supporting Coordination
10. Results Analysis
This is designed as the SEPG leadership program for the organization and makes participation on the SEPG a prestigious assignment. It provides a defined program for each process area specialist to follow in rolling out the process area assigned. It advocates an accelerated program software process improvement program and serves to propel software process improvement to the top of the organization agenda.
PROJECT PROCESS AREA ASSESSMENT METHOD
The Process Area Assessment Method is a consistent method for identifying areas of project strengths and weaknesses associated with the organizational maturity defined in the SEI's Capability Maturity Model Integration. It accomplishes this by focusing in depth on one process area and one project at a time.
Mentoring support is provided for Software Process Specialists in the knowledge, skills, and behavior needed to successfully carry out the Process Area Assessment Method. The method focuses in depth on one key process area and one project at a time.
Engagement Approach
1. Introduce the Process Area Assessment Method to Software Process Specialist. [2 hours]
2. Lead a dry run assessment for a specific Process Area with the Software Process Specialist in preparation for convening a session with a project and staff. Identify any terms within the Process Area Assessment artifact for which a more meaningful project-specific term can be substituted. [2-4 hours]
3. Support the conduct of a Process Area Assessment by the Software Process Specialist with project and staff. [4 hours]
4. Prepare and review the Process Area Assessment Report for the project produced with the Software Process Specialist. [2 hours]
Identify Process Areas to be Assessed
The process areas to be assessed are selected based on what matters most in the context of the project and what stage the project is in. The Project Suite is composed of the following Process Areas:
Project Management Team
1. Project Planning
2. Project Monitoring and Control
3. Supplier Agreement Management
4. Integrated Project Managememt
5. Risk Management
Engineering Team
1. Requirements Management
2. Requirements Development
3. Technical Solution
4. Product Integration
5. Verification
6. Validation
Support Team
1. Configuration Management
2. Process and Product Quality Assurance
3. Measurements and Analysis
4. Decision Analysis and Resolution
Identify Projects to be Assessed
The projects selected to be assessed are based on the goals and priorities of the enterprise and the stage of the project.
Planning and Scheduling Assessments
A half-day is allowed for each of the activities: introduction, conduct, and report. The introduction and report are structured as mentoring sessions involving the software process specialist. Conduct is held with the project manager and staff.
Assessment Conduct
The method operates by convening a facilitated session with the project and staff to thoroughly assess the projectÕs commitment, capability, and practice for a Process Area. Well defined scoring guidelines promote the consistency of results across process areas and projects. The Process Area Assessment is conducted quarterly for each project for each process area.
Assessment Team
The Project Process Area Assessment Team is composed of the Project Manager, selected staff members from the project, and the Software Process Specialist(s).
PROGRAM OBJECTIVES
1. Define the mechanism to assess the roll out readiness for each Level 2 and Level 3 process area
2. Define the mechanism to assess the adoption status of each project for each Project Suite process area
3. Define the mechanism to oversee the activities to achieve process area roll out readiness and project adoption
4. Equip each member of the Process Area Teams to participate in Project Process Area Assessments
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
Software Engineering Process Group members, software managers,and technical leaders assigned to KPA Teams and expected to roll out the porocess areas needed to improve the level of organization software process improvement
PROGRAM AGENDA
Daily Program
Monday
Project Suite Seminar
Project Management Process Area Team Workshop
Tuesday
Workshop: Engineering Process Area Team
Workshop: Support Process Area Team
Workshop: Process Management Process Area Team
Wednesday
Project Process Area Assessment by Project Management Team
Project Process Area Assessment by Engineering Team
Thursday
Project Process Area Assessment by Support Team
Prepare Process Area Team Assessment Reports
Friday
Recap Project Process Area Assessments jointly with All Teams
Oversight Status
Next Steps
Seminar Outline
Overview of SEI's Capability Maturity Model Integration
Project Suite Process Area Roll Out Defined Program
Identification of Process Area Teams and Process Areas
Process Area Assessment Method
Oversight
Seminar
The program begins with a half-day seminar attended by all participants. The SEI Capability Maturity Model Integration is overviewed in preparation for identifying process areas and team members in each of four Process Area Teams. The Project Suite Process Area Roll Out Defined Program is outlined including the process areas and the activities and milestones whose completion comprises readiness of the process area for roll out to the projects. Worked examples are shown for one process area. The steps in the Process Area Assessment Method are outlined and the scoring guidelines and criteria reviewed. A Project Process Area Assessment is conducted by each Process Area Team. The Seminar concludes with a recap of the Project Process Area Assessments jointly with all teams, a discussion of the oversight mechanism for Process Area Roll Out Activities Status and the Project Process Area Assessment Status, and identification of next steps.
Workshop
Four half-day workshops are conducted, one for each Process Area Team. The Process Areas assigned to a team are statused to calibrate the degree to which the team believes the process areas are satisfied, to identify the team member with primary responsibility for each process area, and to assess the readiness of each roll out activity for each process area. For best results, one Process Area Team member is assigned primary responsibility for a process area, and each Process Area Team member is assigned to just one team.
In preparation for conducting process area assessments on each project, the Project Process Area Assessment Package is reviewed including the CMMI pages for the process area, steps in the Process Area Assessment Method, Scoring Guidelines, and the Process Area Assessment Questionnaire. This is followed by a mock Project Process Area Assessment carried out on one process area with scoring completed, findings identified, and recommendations determined.
Project Process Area Assessments
The Project Management Process Area Team, the Engineering Process Area Team, and the Support Process Area Team conduct an actual half-day Project Process Area Assessment with a project manager and a few staff. For each selected process area, the Process Area Team member with primary responsibility for the process area facilitates the session in accordance with the steps in the method.
The Process Area Team prepares the Process Area Assessment Report using the fine-grained results obtained. This report contains the scores for each leading indicator, the findings in terms of strengths and weaknesses, and recommended actions. Some actions may fall to the project; others may fall to the Process Area Team and the individual with primary responsibility for the process area.
Recap and Oversight
The recap is a half-day session attended by all participants where the results of the Project Process Area Assessments are reviewed by the group and where the roll out status of each process area is reviewed. This review is followed by a meeting of the Process Area Team leaders to review the oversight status and consider next steps.
CONTACT
For questions on course content, schedule availability, and delivery options, please contact:
Don O'Neill, 9305 Kobe Way, Montgomery Village, Maryland 20886
Telephone: (301) 990-0377
Email: ONeillDon@aol.com
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