Course
SEI "Introduction to the CMM^®"
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1 day CMMI Overview

by Tim Kasse and Simon Porro

This course is given as part of the CMM Lead Assessor Training & Guidance Programme, and the CMM Lead Evaluator Training Programme
  

Target Audience

Software managers and practitioners interested in the Capability Maturity Model (CMM) or those who are doing software process improvement work, such as members of a Software Engineering Process Group (SEPG) and working group members, or people who will become member of an CMM assessment or evaluation team (such as Action Focused Assessments (AFA),  Software Capability Evaluation (SCE), or CMM-Based Appraisal for Internal Process Improvement (CBA IPI)).

Participants must have knowledge of software engineering and management, including exposure to software quality assurance (SQA), software configuration management (SCM) and basic management principles.
  

Course Description

The SEI Capability Maturity Model (CMM) for software describes a framework that organizations can use to determine their ability to develop and maintain software; it is a model for organizational improvement. The CMM is based on the process management work of W. Edwards Deming, Joseph M. Duran, and Philip B. Crosby, and can be applied by organizations to improve their software process via a software process assessment. The CMM can also be applied by acquisition agencies to select qualified software vendors via contractor evaluations.

This three-day course introduces participants to the CMM and its fundamental concepts. The course discussion emphasizes understanding of the five maturity levels of the CMM and their characteristic key process areas (KPAs). The course is based on version 1.1 of the CMM, released in February 1993, and is a prerequisite for process assessment training and CMM-based appraisal training (CBA IPI).

Tim Kasse of Kasse Initiatives LLC teaches this course under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute. An certificate of completion, recognized by the SEI as evidence of meeting all SEI prescribed requirements for attending an "SEI Introduction to the CMM (SW-CMM)" course, is provided by Tim Kasse for all attendees completing the course.

The course is composed of lectures and class exercises with ample opportunity for participant questions and discussions. "Introduction to CMM" prepares participants to make valid judgments regarding an organization’s implementation of the KPA's. The course is helpful in identifying issues that should be addressed in performing software process improvement as structured by the CMM. The number of participants is typically limited to no more than 24 per class to allow participants the maximum opportunity to ask questions and raise issues.

The course will be presented in English. If all participants understand Dutch, parts will be presented in the Ducth Language.

Course outline

• Introduction & Agenda - Provides an understanding of the prerequisites and objectives of the course; introduces the IDEAL model for Software Process Improvement.
• Software Process Maturity - Introduces the principles of process management and process change used by the CMM; identifies characteristics of immature and mature organizations, and describes process relative to the CMM.
• CMM Overview - Describes the 5 maturity levels and the key process areas associated with each level; describes how capability predicts organizational behavior and how performance relates to capability.
• Value of the CMM - Presents the benefits of improvement CMM. Discusses return on investment for software process improvement, the impact on quality, cost, schedule, and productivity.
• CMM Structure - Describes how to locate information in the CMM, how to identify common features of the CMM, and shows how the CMM is structured.
• Repeatable through the Optimizing Level - Describes each level of the CMM and provides description and purpose of each key process area (KPA), including associated terminology.
• Tying it All Together - Explains some of the common themes that run throughout the CMM and how these themes are embedded in the common features and wording of the practices.
• Interpreting the CMM - Describes how to interpret the practices of the CMM and how to apply the KPAs in different organizational contexts.
• Conclusion - Presents a discussion of who owns the model and addresses some of the issues the SEI will be addressing in the future. Participants will have an opportunity to ask any closing questions.

One Day CMMI Overview

On the fourth day of the course an overview is given of the new CMMI model, which was released in the summer of 2000. During the day attention is paid to:

• Similarities and differences in structure between CMM and CMMI, including its staged and continuous respresentations
• Overview of the CMMI level 2 process areas
• Specific CMMI Level 2 extensions to the CMM
• How to combine the best of the CMM and CMMI models in practice
• How to transition from CMM to CMMI

Schedule

Day 1: 09.00 - 17.30
Day 2: 08.30 - 17.30
Day 3: 08.30 - 17.30
Day 4: 08.30 - 16.00

Instructors

Lead Instructor: Tim Kasse is the Manager and Principal Consultant of Kasse Initiatives. Prior was the co-founder, Chief Executive Officer, and a Principal Consultant of the Institute for Software Process Improvement Inc. (ISPI, an Aimware-company), founded in 1991. His accomplishments include the development and delivery of Software Process Improvement seminars and workshops, Software Process Assessment development, customization, training and coaching, and consulting on the Capability Maturity Model and Process Improvement. He is the architect behind the Action Focused Assessment Method. He has participated in more than 50 Action Focused Software Process Assessments, over half of which have been conducted in Europe.

He is also the developer and Lead Consultant for ISPI's Software Quality Engineering Workshop and Software Configuration Management Workshop. Tim is a recognized speaker at major conferences around the world including the SEI’s SEPG Conference, the European SEPG Conference, the European Software Process Improvement Conference, the Software Technology Conference, and the World Congress on Software Quality.

Prior to starting ISPI, Tim spent four years at the Software Engineering Institute. During his tenure at the SEI, Tim was task leader for the Self-Assessment effort and the Manager of SEI's Software Process Assessment (SPA) Project. Mr. Kasse was a major contributor to the development of the Capability Maturity Model, which provides the framework for the SEI's assessments and evaluations. Tim is a certified SEI Lead Assessor for conducting CBA IPI's. Tim is a trained ISO 9000 auditor and he has 27 years of software related experience.

Lead Instructor: Agapi Svolou is Principal of Alexanna, LLC, a small consulting company providing services in software engineering, with a special emphasis in Process Improvement. Alexanna, LLC, is a transition partner with the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) for the delivery of the Introduction to the Capability Maturity Modelā - Integrated for Systems Engineering/Software Engineering, Version 1.0 (CMMI^smSE/SW,V1.0).
Additionally, Agapi is authorized by the SEI as a CBA- IPI Lead Assessor and Lead Evaluator, a SCAMPI Lead Assessor, and an instructor of the SEI's Introduction to the Capability Maturity Modelā and Goal Driven Measurement Courses.

Agapi has been formally trained in Total Quality Management and process improvement and was on the list of most active Lead Assessors during the period July 97-Dec 98 (as recognized by the Software Engineering Institute.) She has developed and delivered workshops and seminars in Software Process Improvement, the Capability Maturity Model, and has trained clients and led appraisals in the U.S., Europe, South America, and South East Asia. Additionally, she has consulted in project management, providing customers technological and process solutions to help them achieve higher levels of maturity. Prior to being a consultant, Agapi worked for almost 15 years at Carnegie Mellon University’s Research Institute as a Manager of Software Science.

Agapi is presently a Visiting Scientist at the Software Engineering Institute, and serves as a member of the Training Product Development Team for the CMMI^sm effort. One of her job responsibilities is to train candidate instructors in the delivery of the Introduction to the CMMI^sm course. She was recently awarded a Certificate of Appreciation by the Department of Defense for her contribution to the CMMI^sm Project, and an Achievement Award Customer Service by the Software Engineering Institute for Development and Delivery of the CMMI^sm Product Suite, Version 1.0.

Agapi has over 24 years of experience in the computer and software engineering industry, in both the private and government sectors. She holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Computer Science.

Instructor: Simon Porro (1962) is Software Process Improvement consultant. He founded SPI Partners in 1997 and he is based in Eindhoven (NL). Simon holds a masters degree in computing Science from Eindhoven University of Technology. Since 1985 he works in the fields of software engineering, software project- and group management, software quality assurance, quality systems management and software process assessment and improvement. Simon developed the Qualityhouse CMM-Assessment Method in 1995 and the Dutch Euroform/Qualityhouse course "Aan de slag met het CMM" (1996). He is ISO 9000 auditor and teaches ISO 9000, internal auditing, Software Process Improvement and in particular the CMM.  He leads assessment teams and guides process improvement programs. Simon was member of one of the audit teams for the Dutch Quality Prize 1998. Furthermore from 1995 till 2000 he was chairman of the working group "SPI Introduction Strategies" of the Dutch SPIN, called SPIder.

Course Materials

Participants receive the book: "The Capability Maturity Model, Guidelines for Improving the Software Process" (if still in print), a course notebook and some additional current readings.

Course Certificate

Participants who successfully complete the course receive an official certificate from the SEI. Their names are registered at the SEI for future reference in case they would like to enroll in the CBA-IPI Lead Assessor programme.

Course Location & Pricing

Course Location: Aristo Zalen, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Price: NLG. 4.400,- (excl. VAT), second participant from same organization NLG 4.000,- (excl. VAT).
Hotel accomodation is not included in the course fee. There are four good hotels within three minutes walking distance. Eindhoven has an international Airport with direct connections to Amsterdam, London, Paris and Hamburg.

Registration

There are three easy ways to register:

Payment and Cancellation Policy:

SPI Partners has the right to cancel the course at the latest 15 calendar days prior to the course's start date if fewer than 8 participants have registered at that time.
The invoice for this course will be sent by SPI Partners 15 calendar days prior to the course's start date. Payment on the SPI Partners Bank Account is due 30 days after the invoice date (so about two weeks after the start date of this course).
If you are unable to attend this course, your organization may delegate another individual from your organization instead of you until the morning of the start date of the course.
A cancellation fee of NLG. 200,= (exclusing VAT) will be charged for cancellations received more than 15 calendar days prior to the course's start date. Registrants whose cancellation is received after sending of the invoice, as well as no shows, are liable for payment of the entire fee for the course. All prices are in Dutch Guilders (NLG) and exclude BTW/VAT.

More information

For more information, call SPI Partners: 040 248 98 22, international: +31 40 248 98 22.

Simon Porro, SPI Partners, Sprookjesbosch 53, 5629 JB Eindhoven, The Netherlands Tel: +31 40 248 98 22, Fax (Courses): +31 40 266 86 66 Fax (Personal): +31 40 248 42 34 Email: info@spipartners.nl  Web: http://www.spipartners.nl.