QW2001 Tutorial B2

Mr. Bill Deibler
(Software Systems Quality Consulting)

Making the CMM Work: Streamlining the CMM for Todays Projects and Organizations

Key Points

Presentation Abstract

BACKGROUND

The SEI Software CMM is a comprehensive model that can serve as a basis for assessing and improving the effectiveness of software development organizations. The CMM was derived from the requirements of government purchasing agencies overseeing large, complex, third-party development projects. Because of their large project focus, the practices described in the CMM can appear to small, internal, or commercial software development organizations to be inapplicable or burdensome and bureaucratic. Version 1.1 of the CMM is published in two technical reports containing a total of nearly 600 pages. The size of the CMM makes it difficult to uncover the interrelationships among the elements that are essential to tailoring the model to a small software development environment. It also makes the model intimidating.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

This tutorial allows participants to identify and leverage the strength of the CMM to improve software development practices in their company. The tutorial prepares the attendee to build durable, maintainable software development practices that exploit the CMM framework. The tutorial ensures that the participant will be able to: * Implement a realistic and useful strategy for deploying software development practices in today's commercial organizations * Simplify the CMM to support appropriate, effective, flexible software development processes for any size organization * Resolve apparent discrepancies between the guidance in the CMM and the needs of small, commercial and internal software development projects and organizations * Identify and prioritize elements of advanced levels that should be considered by every organization.

About the Author

William J. Deibler II has an MSc. in Computer Science and 20 years experience in the computer industry, primarily in the areas of software and systems development, software testing, and software quality assurance. Bill has extensive experience in managing and implementing CMM- and ISO 9001-based process improvement in software engineering environments.

Bill is a principal of SSQC. Since 1990, SSQC has specialized in supporting organizations in the definition and implementation of Software Engineering Practices, Software Quality Assurance and Testing, Business Process Reengineering, ISO 9000 Registration and CMM implementation. SSQC offers HM2, a unique, hybrid appraisal method that defines and correlates the position of an organization with respect to both ISO 9001 and the CMM. The results of an HM2 assessment are a plan and framework for improving software engineering processes and for implementing the requirements of the two models. Bill has developed and published numerous courses, auditing tools, research papers, and articles on interpreting and applying the ISO 9000 standards and guidelines and the SEI Capability Maturity Model for Software. His articles have appeared in McGraw Hill's Quality Systems Update, IEEE COMPUTER, McGraw Hill’s ISO 9000 Handbook, CrossTALK, and Software Marketing Journal.

He has presented research papers at numerous national and international conferences, including those sponsored by the American Society for Quality Control (ASQC), Pacific Northwest Software Quality (PNSQC), the Software Publishers Association (SPA), Software Technology Support Center (STSC), the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) and Software Research Inc.. SSQC courses have been attended by software engineering professionals from many of the country's leading technology companies. SSQC courses have been sponsored for their members by professional associations, including the ASQC, CSU Long Beach's Software Engineering Forum for Training, Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI), Software Engineering Institute (SEI), UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz.

SSQC is an active United States TAG member in the ISO/IEC JTC1 SC7 - Software Engineering Standards subcommittee which is responsible for the development and maintenance of ISO 12207 and ISO 15504 (SPICE). SSQC's software development clients have successfully achieved ISO registration and advanced CMM maturity levels.