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with eight Process Areas in 2005. We also conducted a formal SCAMPI with
the full eighteen Process Areas in 2007. By doing the early appraisal in 2005,
we significantly reduced risk for the second appraisal. This provided risk
abatement because we used many of the same team members during the sec-
ond appraisal. They knew each other and had previously been trained by the
lead appraiser.
5.28 Lost Momentum Risk After Reaching Your CMMI
Goal
It is not uncommon for organizations to lose process improvement momen-
tum after achieving a major milestone such as achieving a formal CMMI
level 3 rating. What we have learned might help you reduce this risk in your
organization.
LESSON 6
Communicate to the decision makers that you must improve, not just maintain
a CMMI level.
Experience has shown you can't just maintain a CMMI level without
expending effort. If you really want to maintain a level of process maturity,
you must continuously expend effort to improve. This is because project con-
ditions and people keep changing. This means you need to keep training
new people just to hold your level. As you train new people and as new pro-
jects end, maintenance of processes implies responding to the new issues
that arise. If no one is listening and responding, you are falling behind. To
maintain requires effort.
LESSON 7
CMMI level 3 is the point where you face your greatest potential opportunity
for improvement. It isn't a good place to stay.
Level 3 is actually a point where you have some consistency, but are not
necessarily performing at the efficiency level you desire. Levels 4 and 5
bring practices where you can initiate improvement optimizations based
on objective data. Communicate this important lesson to those who can
