The local champion should drive the assessment process as well as facilitate those who are conducting the assessment and those who are taking part.
§ Select an assessment approach that is appropriate for the organization, its budgets, and its management philosophy. If budgets are limited or outside consultants cannot be used, consider the use of a self-directed assessment model. If consulting budgets are available, hire a competent consulting firm to conduct the assessment. If customer requirements dictate a specific assessment approach (e.g., many government contractors are encouraged to
use the Software Engineering Institute assessment),develop a plan that enables that approach to be used.
§ Determine the software development process maturity level for the organization. The process maturity level makes it possible to compare the organization with common and best practice in the industry. However, it should not be used to compare internal groups or to force technology transition.
§ Examine findings and recommendations derived as a consequence of assessment results to be certain that they accurately reflect the organization.
Recommendations must be realistic.
§ Begin the development of a transition plan that will lead to software process improvement. The transition plan describes the education strategy, the approach to be taken for selecting process changes and technology upgrades, and the tasks, milestones, and deliverables associated with process and technology installation.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Bollinger, T. and McGowan, C. “A Critical Look at Software Capability Evaluations.” IEEE Software, July 1991.
1. Capability Maturity Model for Software, Pittsburgh: Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, 1991.
2. Weber, C.V. et al. “Key Practices of the Capability Maturity Model.” CMU/SEI-91-TR-25, ESD- TR-91-25. Pittsburgh: Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, August 1991
Index
A
AMTRAK, 315–316
Application development, See Software development
Application management methodology, 335–336
Application purpose statement, 63
Application service providers (ASP), 293, 300, See also Outsourcing Capability Maturity Model and, 331
process improvement and, 331–339
Applications life cycle, See Software development life cycle
Asset management processes, 336
Audit, software process, See Process assessment
Automation, See also Project management automation
Availability levels, 465
B
Balanced scorecard approach, 498–500
Brainstorming, 89
Budgeting, See Cost assessment; Costs; Information systems costs; Resource allocation
Burnout, 4, 141
Business process reengineering, 67, 81
C
Capability Maturity Model (CMM), 62, 500
application outsourcing and, 331–339
core measures for software development, 125
evaluation process, 121–122
history of, 121
ISO 9000 and, 118, 122–123
IS productivity assessments, 338
key process areas, 122
quality management and, 123
Capacity utilization, 466–468
Career planning, 451
CA-SuperProject, 30
Change management
control standards, 28
Motorola’s PIMS project, 151
project management office function, 454
Client/server development projects, 373–382
business requirements, 374
database query volumes, 464
documentation, 379–380
estimating, 375–376
organizational stability, 373
project tracking, 376
prototyping/usability, 380–381
rehosting, 411
security, 378
sign-offs and approval, 381
skill development, 377
technical requirements, 374–375
testing and QA process, 379
Client relationships, risk management model and, 41–42
Coding speed standards, 55–56
Coemployment, 272
Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software, 60, 278, See also Outsourcing Commitment
common vision and, 193–194
project participants, performance improvement and, 10
senior management support, 14–16, 23, 35, 42, 487
user participation and, 196–197
Common Information Model, 298
Communication, 479
distinction between data and information, 7–8
ISO 9000 standard, 114
knowledge management project and, 353
measurement program, 504
performance improvement and, 7–8
project complexity and, 441–443
project coordination and, 83, See also Meetings
project management office function, 454
Communications standards, 28
Complexity, See also Large complex systems management
added value tradeoff, 437–438
application-user fit and, 257
contributing factors, 435, 441
coordination and communication issues, 441–443
IT application project development tolerance, 439–440
legacy overintegration, 409–410
management approaches, 443–446
managing large complex systems, 355–360
new technology and, 437, 441
performance improvement and, 10–11
project expansion pressures, 435–436
project success criteria and, 439
reasonable project size and complexity, 444
staffing needs and, 438
testing and, 443
Computer Economics, Inc., 462
Computer-learning techniques, 261
Configuration management, Motorola’s PIMS project, 151
Conflict management, 197–198
Consolidation costs, 467
Consultants, 267, 307–314, See also Outsourcing
added value, 307
contracts, 311
IT customer responsibilities, 310–312
managing an assignment, 312–313
new technology implementation and, 308–309
outsourcing management services, 327–328
project knowledge transfer, 313
project management training and, 28
quality assurance, 311
reasons for hiring, 308–309
responsibilities, 312
selecting, 307, 310–311
third-party assistance, 313–314
Contingency planning, 21–22, 113, 137
ISO 9000 and, 113
knowledge management project, 352–353
Continuous process improvement, 509, See also Performance improvement; Process improvement
benefits and costs, 158
Capability Maturity Model, 121–122
evolution of a high-quality development process, 145–159, See also Paperless Integrated Manufacturing System
Continuous quality improvement, 145, See Performance improvement; Process improvement; Quality management
Contractors, See Consultants; Outsourcing; Staff augmentation Corporate culture, See Culture
Cost assessment, 16–17, 68, 69–72, See also Costs; Estimation ISO 9000 and, 108
work breakdown strucutre and, 345–347
Costs
application life cycle and, 468–469
automation, 467
company-to-company comparisons, 473
consolidation, 467
hardware, 462, 471
ignoring usability and training issues, 262–263
IS, 461–475, See Information systems costs
IT business stategic alliances and, 210
mainframe replacements, 473–474
maintenance, 468–469
process mapping, 232
production workload quantification, 463–464
rationalization, 467
resource use efficiency, 466–468
service level assessment, 464–466
software, 203, 462, 466, 471
staff augmentation, 271
time and quality relationships, 189–191
transition costs, 471–472
Counseling, 452
Creativity, 6, 89
Critical path analysis, 68
Culture
barriers to application leveraging, 398
IT business stategic alliances and, 203, 206–207
legacy asset management and, 413–414
outsourcing and overcoming resistance to change, 333–334
performance incentives and, 370–371
project management methodology and, 245–255, See Project management methodologies, culture change facilitation
self-directed teams and, 219–221
senior management and, 252
Customer assistance processes, application management methodology, 336
Customer identification, 165–167
Customer review of requirements, 98
Customer satisfaction
metrics, 171
quality-time-cost relationships, 191–192
D
Database query volumes, 464
Database security, 378
Data centers
best practice vs. industry average, 468
outsourcing, 274–275
Dataquest Inc., 343
Data warehousing, 412
Delphi Group, 343
Deming, W. Edwards, 509
Desktop computing support, 275–276
Development, See Software development
Disaster recovery, 465–466
Distributed Management Task Force, Inc. (DMTF), 298
DMAIC model, 162–172
Documentation
client/server development projects, 379–380
help desk development project, 391
ISO 9000 and, 110
IT steering committee audit, 238–239
manuals for government agencies, 62
meeting minutes, 85–86, 88
new processes, 232–233
problems for IT departments, 60–61
product developers and, 60
project history, 8–9, 71
project management office function, 453
requirements, 96–97
status reporting, 19
systems develo pment basics, 63–66
application purpose statement, 63
basic documentation checklist, 66
requirements, 64
version, 64–65
Downsizing management, 321–325
anxiety and resentment, 321
assessing worker loyalty, 323
explaining process and reasons, 322
human resources and, 323
methods, 321
severance terms, 324–325
valued employees and, 324
Due diligence, 205, 276
Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM), 27
E
Eastman Kodak, 315
E-commerce, management service providers and, 291, 292, 295, 300
Electronic Data Systems Corp. (EDS), 315
Encryption, 378
End users
heterogeneity of, 258, 261
role in CQI, 157
user-application fit considerations, 255–263, See Software development, usability issues
Engineering management, 358
Entity-relationship diagrams, 151
Environmental monitoring, 40–41
Estimation, 68, 69–72, 345–347
bottom-up and top-down estimating, 72
client/server development projects, 375–376
experience and, 71–72
function points, 70–71
help desk development project, 389
ISO 9000 and, 106
three-point estimate technique, 106, 347
Expense analysis, See Cost assessment
Expert technology, 482
Extended Markup Language (XML), 298
F
Facilitated workshops, 423, 424–425, 431–434
facilitator selection, 424
recovery workshop agenda, 426–427
stakeholder participation, 433
steps to workshop success, 425
Factory manufacturing application, See Paperless Integrated Manufacturing System Feasibility plan, 91
Firewall systems, 378
Ford, Henry, 7
Forward regeneration, 412
Function points, 70–71
Funding, 16–17, See also Cost assessment
G
Gardner, Howard, 261
Gates, Bill, 139
Gause, Donald, 87, 93
Government agency applications development, 61–62
G/Q/M approach, 497–498
Graphical user interface, application leveraging, 400
H
Hardware costs, 462, 472
Help desk development, 383–394
definition, 383–384
meetings and documentation, 391
project management functions, 384
closing, 385, 393
controlling, 384, 392–393
defining, 384, 386
leading, 384, 385–386
organizing, 384, 391–392
planning, 384, 387–391
resource allocation, 388
time estimation, 389
Hours of operation, 465
Human resources
downsizing management issues, 323, See also Downsizing management intranet-based employee self-service, 169
IT relationship, 206
project management office function, 451–452
Hybrid computing, 405, 409–412
Hypermedia, 482
Hypermedia browsing, 483
Hypertext, 76, 483
I
Incentives, See Pay-for-performance
Informal project management, 68–69
information systems (IS), managing large complex systems, 355–360
Information systems costs, 461–475, See Costs
Information systems productivity assessments (ISPA), 338
Information technology (IT), for project management automation, See Project management automation
Information technology, project management-based perspective, 189–192
Information technology, strategic business alliances and, 201–212
avoiding common pitfalls, 211–212
business/IT relationship, 204–205, 211–212
corporate culture and, 203, 206–207
costs, 210
due diligence, 205
evaluating the alliance, 205
IT support and direction, 210–211
planning, 207–210
problems of IT non-involvement, 202–204
staffing, 204
vendor relationships, 206–207
Information technology help desk, See Help desk development
Information technology outsourcing, See Outsourcing
Information technology project complexity, See Complexity
Information technology project time wasters, 424
competing priorities, 424, 429–430
definition and scope ambiguities, 424, 428
facilitated project recovery workshop and, 424–425, 431–434
lack of clear expectations, 424, 428–429
lack of problem resolution tools or processes, 424, 430–431
Information technology steering committee audit, 235–243