SG 1 Select Improvements Process and technology improvements that contribute to meeting quality and process-performance objectives are selected. SP 1.1-1 Collect and Analyze Improvement Proposals Collect and analyze process- and technology-improvement proposals. Each process- and technology-improvement proposal must be analyzed. Simple process and technology improvements, with well-understood benefits and effects, will not usually undergo detailed evaluations. | Examples of simple process and technology improvements include the following: |
Typical Work Products Analyzed process- and technology-improvement proposals Subpractices Collect process- and technology-improvement proposals. A process- and technology-improvement proposal documents proposed incremental and innovative improvements to specific processes and technologies. Managers and staff in the organization, as well as customers, end users, and suppliers can submit process- and technology-improvement proposals. Process and technology improvements may be implemented at the local level before being proposed for the organization. Examples of sources for process- and technology-improvement proposals include the following: Findings and recommendations from process appraisals The organization's quality and process-performance objectives Analysis of data about customer and end-user problems as well as customer and end-user satisfaction Analysis of data about project performance compared to quality and productivity objectives Analysis of technical performance measures Results of process and product benchmarking efforts Analysis of data on defect causes Measured effectiveness of process activities Examples of process- and technology-improvement proposals that were successfully adopted elsewhere Feedback on previously submitted process- and technology-improvement proposals Spontaneous ideas from managers and staff |
Refer to the Organizational Process Focus process area for more information about process- and technology-improvement proposals. Analyze the costs and benefits of process- and technology-improvement proposals as appropriate. Process- and technology-improvement proposals that have a large cost-to-benefit ratio are rejected. Criteria for evaluating costs and benefits include the following: Contribution toward meeting the organization's quality and process-performance objectives Effect on mitigating identified project and organizational risks Ability to respond quickly to changes in project requirements, market situations, and the business environment Effect on related processes and associated assets Cost of defining and collecting data that supports the measurement and analysis of the process- and technology-improvement proposal Expected life span of the proposal Process- and technology-improvement proposals that would not improve the organization's processes are rejected. Process performance models provide insight into the effect of process changes on process capability and performance. Refer to the Organizational Process Performance process area for more information about process performance models. Identify the process- and technology-improvement proposals that are innovative. Innovative improvements are also identified and analyzed in the Identify and Analyze Innovations specific practice. Whereas this specific practice analyzes proposals that have been passively collected, the purpose of the Identify and Analyze Innovations specific practice is to actively search for and locate innovative improvements. The search primarily involves looking outside the organization. Innovative improvements are typically identified by reviewing process and technology-improvement proposals or by actively investigating and monitoring innovations that are in use in other organizations or are documented in research literature. Innovation may be inspired by internal improvement objectives or by the external business environment. Innovative improvements are typically major changes to the process that represent a break from the old way of doing things (e.g., changing the life-cycle model). Innovative improvements may also include changes in the products that support, enhance, or automate the process (e.g., using off-the-shelf products to support the process). Examples of innovative improvements include the following: Advances in computer and related hardware products New support tools New techniques, methodologies, processes, or life-cycle models New interface standards New reusable components New management techniques New quality-improvement techniques New process-development and deployment-support tools |
Identify potential barriers and risks to deploying each process- and technology-improvement proposal. Examples of barriers to deploying process and technology improvements include the following: Turf guarding and parochial perspectives Unclear or weak business rationale Lack of short-term benefits and visible successes Unclear picture of what is expected from everyone Too many changes at the same time Lack of involvement and support of relevant stakeholders |
Examples of risk factors that affect the deployment of process and technology improvements include the following: Compatibility of the improvement with existing processes, values, and skills of potential end users Complexity of the improvement Difficulty implementing the improvement Ability to demonstrate the value of the improvement before widespread deployment Justification for large, up-front investments in areas such as tools and training Inability to overcome "technology drag" where the current implementation is used successfully by a large and mature installed base of end users |
Estimate the cost, effort, and schedule required for deploying each process and technology-improvement proposal. Select the process- and technology-improvement proposals to be piloted before broadscale deployment. Since innovations, by definition, usually represent a major change, most innovative improvements will be piloted. Document the results of the evaluation of each process- and technology-improvement proposal. Monitor the status of each process- and technology-improvement proposal. SP 1.2-1 Identify and Analyze Innovations Identify and analyze innovative improvements that could increase the organization's quality and process performance. The specific practice, Collect and Analyze Improvement Proposals, analyzes proposals that are passively collected. The purpose of this specific practice is to actively search for, locate, and analyze innovative improvements. This search primarily involves looking outside the organization. Typical Work Products Candidate innovative improvements Analysis of proposed innovative improvements Subpractices Analyze the organization's set of standard processes to determine areas where innovative improvements would be most helpful. These analyses are performed to determine which subprocesses are critical to achieving the organization's quality and process-performance objectives and which ones are good candidates to be improved. Investigate innovative improvements that may improve the organization's set of standard processes. Investigating innovative improvements involves the following: Systematically maintaining awareness of leading relevant technical work and technology trends Periodically searching for commercially available innovative improvements Collecting proposals for innovative improvements from the projects and the organization Systematically reviewing processes and technologies used externally and comparing them to those used within the organization Identifying areas where innovative improvements have been used successfully, and reviewing data and documentation of experience using these improvements Analyze potential innovative improvements to understand their effects on process elements and predict their influence on the process. Process performance models can provide a basis for analyzing possible effects of changes to process elements. Refer to the Organizational Process Performance process area for more information about process performance models. Analyze the costs and benefits of potential innovative improvements. Innovative improvements that have a very large cost-to-benefit ratio are rejected. Create process- and technology-improvement proposals for those innovative improvements that would result in improving the organization's processes or technologies. Select the innovative improvements to be piloted before broadscale deployment. Since innovations, by definition, usually represent a major change, most innovative improvements will be piloted. Document the results of the evaluations of innovative improvements. SP 1.3-1 Pilot Improvements Pilot process and technology improvements to select which ones to implement. Pilots are performed to assess new and unproven major changes before they are broadly deployed, as appropriate. The implementation of this specific practice may overlap with the implementation of the Implement the Action Proposals specific practice in the Causal Analysis and Resolution process area (e.g., when causal analysis and resolution is implemented organizationally or across multiple projects). Typical Work Products Pilot evaluation reports Documented lessons learned from pilots Subpractices Plan the pilots. When planning pilots, it is critical to define criteria to be used for evaluating pilot results. Review and get relevant stakeholder agreement on the plans for the pilots. Consult with and assist the people performing the pilots. Perform each pilot in an environment that is characteristic of the environment present in a broadscale deployment. Track the pilots against their plans. Review and document the results of pilots. Reviewing and documenting the results of pilots usually involves the following: Deciding whether to terminate the pilot, replan and continue the pilot, or proceed with deploying the process and technology improvement Updating the disposition of process- and technology-improvement proposals associated with the pilot Identifying and documenting new process- and technology-improvement proposals as appropriate Identifying and documenting lessons learned and problems encountered during the pilot SP 1.4-1 Select Improvements for Deployment Select process- and technology-improvement proposals for deployment across the organization. Selection of process- and technology-improvement proposals for deployment across the organization is based on quantifiable criteria derived from the or ganization's quality and process-performance objectives. Typical Work Products Process- and technology-improvement proposals selected for deployment Subpractices Prioritize the candidate process and technology improvements for deployment. Priority is based on an evaluation of the estimated cost-to-benefit ratio with regard to the quality and process-performance objectives. Refer to the Organizational Process Performance process area for more information about quality and process-performance objectives. Select the process and technology improvements to be deployed. The selection of the process improvements is based on their priorities and the available resources. Determine how each process and technology improvement will be deployed. Examples of how the process and technology improvements may be deployed include incorporating these improvements into the following: Organizational process assets All or a subset of the organization's product families All or a subset of the organization's projects All or a subset of the organizational groups |
Document the results of the selection process. The results of the selection process usually include the following: The selection criteria The disposition of each proposal The rationale for the disposition of each proposal The assets to be changed for each selected proposal SG 2 Deploy Improvements Measurable improvements to the organization's processes and technologies are continually and systematically deployed. SP 2.1-1 Plan the Deployment Establish and maintain the plans for deploying the selected process and technology improvements. The plans for deploying each process and technology improvement may be included in the organization's plan for organizational innovation and deployment or they may be documented separately. This specific practice plans the deployment of individual process and technology improvements. The Plan the Process generic practice addresses comprehensive planning that covers the specific practices in this process area. Typical Work Products Deployment plan for selected process and technology improvements Subpractices Determine how each process and technology improvement must be adjusted for organization-wide deployment. Process and technology improvements proposed within a limited context (e.g., for a single project) might have to be modified to work across the organization. Determine the changes necessary to deploy each process and technology improvement. Examples of changes needed to deploy a process and technology improvement include the following: Process descriptions, standards, and procedures Development environments Education and training Skills Existing commitments Existing activities Continuing support to end users Organizational culture and characteristics |
Identify strategies to address potential barriers to deploying each process and technology improvement. Establish measures and objectives for determining the value of each process and technology improvement with respect to the organization's quality and process-performance objectives. Examples of measures for determining the value of a process and technology improvement include the following: Return on investment Time to recover the cost of the process or technology improvement Measured improvement in the project's or organization's process performance Number and types of project and organizational risks mitigated by the process or technology improvement Ability to respond quickly to changes in project requirements, market situations, and the business environment |
Refer to the Measurement and Analysis process area for more information about establishing objectives for measurement and analysis, specifying the measures and analyses to be performed, obtaining and analyzing measures, and reporting results. Document the plan for deploying each process and technology improvement. Review and get agreement with relevant stakeholders on the plan for deploying each process and technology improvement. Revise the plan for deploying each process and technology improvement as necessary. SP 2.2-1 Manage the Deployment Manage the deployment of the selected process and technology improvements. The implementation of this specific practice may overlap with the implementation of the Implement the Action Proposals specific practice in the Causal Analysis and Resolution process area (e.g., when causal analysis and resolution is implemented organizationally or across multiple projects). The primary difference is that in the Causal Analysis and Resolution process area, planning is done to manage the removal of the root causes of defects or problems from the project's defined processes. In the Organizational Innovation and Deployment process area, planning is done to manage the deployment of improvements to the organization's processes and technologies that can be quantified against the organization's business objectives. Typical Work Products Updated training materials (to reflect deployed process and technology improvements) Documented results of process- and technology-improvement deployment activities Revised process- and technology-improvement measures, objectives, priorities, and deployment plans Subpractices Monitor the deployment of the process and technology improvements using the deployment plan. Coordinate the deployment of process and technology improvements across the organization. Coordinating deployment includes the following activities: Coordinating the activities of projects, support groups, and organizational groups for each process and technology improvement Coordinating the activities for deploying related process and technology improvements Quickly deploy process and technology improvements in a controlled and disciplined manner, as appropriate. Examples of methods for quickly deploying process and technology improvements include the following: Using red-lines, process change notices, or other controlled process documentation as interim process descriptions Deploying process and technology improvements incrementally, rather than as a single deployment Providing comprehensive consulting to early adopters of the process and technology improvement in lieu of revised formal training |
Incorporate the process and technology improvements into organizational process assets, as appropriate. Refer to the Organizational Process Definition process area for more information about organizational process assets. Coordinate the deployment of the process and technology improvements into the projects' defined processes as appropriate. Refer to the Organizational Process Focus process area for more information about deploying organizational process assets. Provide consulting, as appropriate, to support deployment of the process and technology improvements. Provide updated training materials to reflect the improvements to the organizational process assets. Refer to the Organizational Training process area for more information about training materials. Confirm that the deployment of all process and technology improvements is completed. Determine whether the ability of the defined process to meet quality and process-performance objectives is adversely affected by the process and technology improvement, and take corrective action as necessary. Refer to the Quantitative Project Management process area for more information about quantitatively managing the project's defined process to achieve the project's established quality and process-performance objectives. Document and review the results of process- and technology-improvement deployment. Documenting and reviewing the results includes the following: Identifying and documenting lessons learned Identifying and documenting new process- and technology-improvement proposals Revising process- and technology-improvement measures, objectives, priorities, and deployment plans SP 2.3-1 Measure Improvement Effects Measure the effects of the deployed process and technology improvements. Refer to the Measurement and Analysis process area for more information about establishing objectives for measurement and analysis, specifying the measures and analyses to be performed, obtaining and analyzing measures, and reporting results. The implementation of this specific practice may overlap with the implementation of the Evaluate the Effect of Changes specific practice in the Causal Analysis and Resolution process area (e.g., when causal analysis and resolution is implemented organizationally or across multiple projects). Typical Work Products Documented measures of the effects resulting from the deployed process and technology improvements Subpractices Measure the actual cost, effort, and schedule for deploying each process and technology improvement. Measure the value of each process and technology improvement. Measure the progress toward achieving the organization's quality and process-performance objectives. Analyze the progress toward achieving the organization's quality and process-performance objectives and take corrective action as needed. Refer to the Organizational Process Performance process area for more information about process performance analyses. Store the measures in the organization's measurement repository. |
