As we are heading into the final days of CMMI V1.3, you might be wondering what will be different in planning for your next CMMI© V2.0 Benchmark appraisal. Here are my top 5 things to consider:
1. Start Planning Early
By the increase in version number, you may guess there are quite some changes both with the model and the appraisal method. The most significant portion of changes in the model is not necessarily in the content, but more in the architectural and structural aspects, as well as how you access the model. This means, if you’ve already been working with the CMMI model, you will not be starting all over again when you upgrade your system to V2.0.
However, I find the changes in the appraisal method to mainly impact the planning phase, including some of the newly introduced appraisal outputs, aka the Performance Report, which will require your attention from the get-go. It was always a good idea to start planning early, but now even more so with V2.0, as you’ll also find in the below items.
2. Don’t Think Your Favorite Project Will Save the Day
In V1.3 appraisals, the projects that would represent the organization were selected through discussions between the organization undertaking the appraisal and the Lead Appraiser while being mindful of various rules defined in the appraisal method.
Now, the project selection is made by an algorithm in the new CMMI Appraisal System (CAS), which replaced the previous SCAMPI Appraisal System (SAS), and brought on an innovative way to identify the sample that goes into the appraisal. The result of this algorithm is called a Random Generated Sample (RGS), which is simply a mapping of the projects and the support functions of the organization to the Practice Areas that we will collect evidence during the appraisal. You can think of this mapping as the representation of the organization for the appraisal.
So, you may be asking now: “when do I get to know which projects will be in the appraisal?” Please read on.
3. Be Aware of the New Deadlines
The request to get your appraisal sample scope approved in order to populate the Random Generated Sample (RGS) mentioned above can be sent as early as 60 days before the appraisal conduct begins and as late as 35 days.
Considering that you cannot identify who will take part in the interviews until RGS is populated, any delay in collecting the required information until this stage will eat into your 60-day period in which you can; make a timely arrangement of the interview participants’ schedules, arrange the facilities needed for the duration of the appraisal and populating the objective evidence database to be used in the appraisal if you choose to use one. There’s also a great chance that you will work with a Lead Appraiser who is just learning their way around CAS; hence they may need additional time for data input due to the learning curve. Did we mention to start planning early? Start planning early.
4. Appraisal Team Members Need to be Certified
Each appraisal team member (ATM) taking part in a Benchmark Appraisal is now required to be a Certified CMMI Associate. This requirement comes in addition to the increased experience requirements for ATMs. The CMMI Associate Certificate is achieved by attending the Foundations of Capability training from a certified instructor, taking the exam following the training and passing it with a high score. Participants from my training classes mentioned that the exam is not too difficult but not too easy, and preparation is key. Once issued, the certificate is valid for three years and can be renewed by retaking the exam. So, when you plan the CMMI training for your potential ATMs, it’s also a good idea to keep in mind the likely date of your appraisal.
Have experienced ATMs from your previous appraisal? They can take CMMI V2.0 Upgrade Training and then take the Certified CMMI Associate exam.
5. Appoint a Point of Contact and Site Coordinator Early
There are mainly two reasons why I suggest this. The first one is the way the new CMMI Appraisal System (CAS) works. The system unlocks the next planning data entry screens in a step-by-step process while providing templates for data uploading in several of these steps. The templates are system generated with the relevant ID numbers for your appraisal, so even though your LA can tell you what comes up next in the process, they cannot reuse the templates from a previous appraisal exactly as it is due to these IDs. I found that this requires a more frequent back-and-forth communication between the Lead Appraiser and the organization. Appointing a designated person in the organization early on to organize and provide the requested planning data helps navigate this phase smoothly.
The second reason is due to the increase in the number of interviews we conduct during the appraisal. In the new appraisal method, you will see that some projects provide data for engineering processes while others for project management processes. Some will share information on how they made their technical decisions while others share their experience on how they understood their customers. Which project will share what aspect of their project is identified by the Random Generated Sample. Though this was an approach that could’ve been used in V1.3, we would most likely prefer utilizing the opportunity to “follow the thread” in projects, thus look at a project’s project management, engineering, or any other supporting processes collectively.
While the approach in V2.0 gives us a better chance to see the bigger picture in the organization because of the involvement of a larger group of projects in the appraisal, it requires an increased number of interviews to be conducted due to the segregation of topics discussed in these interviews. A site coordinator outside the appraisal team comes in very helpful to organize the transitions between the interviews and manage the larger number of people coming in and out of the appraisal room. Identifying the site coordinator and involving them in the appraisal process long before the interviews gives them enough time to adjust.
If you are new to CMMI appraisals at all, you might have found this blog post to be heavy on the “appraisal language”. No worries, send us an e-mail at info@doraconsulting.com to learn how we can help.
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