Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
3.2
Process Learning Processes
The basic objective of the indiGo methodology is to create and sustain a living
process model, that is, a process model that is (a) accepted by the organizations
members, (b) adapted to organizational changes on demand, and (c) continuously
enriched with experience from the operating business of the organization.
The processes of the indiGo model are ordered into three groups: Core processes,
strategy processes, and support processes. Core processes generate a direct benefit for
the organization: Creation of a process model, introduction of a process model,
supporting process execution, and maintenance of a process model. Strategy
processes cover the orientation and justification of the experience factory (EF) (Basili,
Caldiera & Rombach 1994). This includes the definition or update of subject areas,
setting objectives for the subject areas, and creating a short and long term perspective
for the EF. Support processes assist core processes or strategy processes and include
moderating discussions, processing lessons learned based on contributions to the
discussion, handling feedback, managing the EF, and defining requirements for
improving the technical infrastructure.
Besides this structure according to content of the processes, the process learning
methodology differentiates two phases of process learning: First, in the
introduction
phase
, the process model is first discussed on a hypothetical basis by the members of
an organization. This phase focuses (a) on resolving potential conflicts associated
with the new process description and (b) to elicit process improvement opportunities.
At the end of the discussion, the results are summarized to improve the process
model. If needed, this phase is augmented with a pilot application of the improved
process model.
In the
operational phase
, the focus of the process learning processes is on detecting
and solving problems revealed during process execution, that is, detecting and
handling knowledge deficiencies. The (instantiated) methodology assures that certain
members of the organization are responsible for this solution and that these solutions
are preserved within the organization.
An instantiation of the indiGo methodology will be performed as follows: First,
subject areas are defined and prioritized. The prioritization is used to select subject
areas for the test run, the roll-out phase and future opportunities to enlarge the scope
of process learning. Second, organization members are assigned to the roles and
subject areas. Third, the generic process model of indiGo is instantiated to the needs
of the organization by discussing them via the indiGo technical infrastructure. This
discussions are continued throughout the application of the indiGo methodology, thus
adapting and improving the processes of the indiGo methodology.
3.3
Role Model
The indiGo role model and subject areas together build a fine-grained framework that
allows to adapt the indiGo methodology to the needs and settings of the organization.
For each role involved, it describes a set of responsibilities that are performed by the
respective role. This role model is complemented by a defined set of subject areas
describing relevant areas of knowledge of the organization. Since the subject areas are
