Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
LESSON 1
It is a misunderstanding to think “good CMMI-compliant” processes are
only meant to help you when you know the answer ahead of time, and
when things go according to a plan. When a process is written well using
the CMMI as a guide, its greatest value is in helping to know what to do
when things go wrong and uncertainty exists.
Why Processes Often Don't Get Used When They Are Needed Most
If processes aren't written to address the real issues—including the tough
issues—they won't be used. Unfortunately, what I learned through the gap
analysis at NANO was that when things happened in the organization that
were different from the plan, they tossed away the process because the way
the processes were written couldn't help when help was needed most. And
needing help was a common everyday occurrence at NANO.
6.13 The Good and Not So Good Sides of Distributed
Process Ownership
I was glad the Director was holding those who reported to him responsible
for their own processes. However, there are good and not so good sides to
distributed process ownership in an organization.
The good side is that we have a better chance of developing the right
processes to help people do their job when those who must use processes
own their processes. The not so good side is that not everyone knows how to
write good processes.
MYTH
Processes are easy to write, and anyone who is responsible to do
work can write a good process describing how he or she should do that work.
6.14 Priority Recommendations at NANO
I was now faced with the challenge of making a recommendation on how to
best move this organization forward given the current situation. They had
written some processes that were accurate as far as they went, but were
incomplete. Another positive attribute of the current processes was that they
