Standard CMMI Appraisal Method for Process Improvement (SCAMPI)

1.4.4 Inventory Objective Evidence (continued)
Implementation
Guidance
Members of the team may choose to summarize the extent of practice
implementation at the discretion of the appraisal team leader. However, the
objective of this activity is to determine how much additional data team
members will need to complete their work. It is recommended that the
appraisal team leader establish an expectation with the sponsor that the results
of this analysis will form the basis for a revised schedule estimate. If the
initial objective evidence is lacking in completeness and detail, the team will
be forced to seek more information during the on-site data collection, unless
corrective actions are taken before that time.
It is important to keep all stakeholders focused on the fact that SCAMPI is
intended as a benchmarking appraisal. This method is not well suited for
organizations that have very limited understanding of CMMI. Such
organizations may not yet have a clear idea of how the practices described in
CMMI models ought to be implemented to meet their specific business needs.
Deciding on a reasonable implementation of the practices, and working to
ensure that they are enacted on projects throughout the organization, are
activities that precede a benchmarking appraisal. A different type of appraisal
(Class B or C) is probably going to be more valuable if the objective of the
sponsor is to begin the process of understanding what CMMI could mean for
the organization. It is not reasonable to schedule a two-week appraisal and
expect to collect all of the data required for benchmarking during the on-site
data collection.
The appraisal team leader often reviews the initial data set provided by the
organization prior to assembling the team for its first meeting, to identify
areas where additional data will be needed and to assess the feasibility of the
planned appraisal schedule. This readiness review should be conducted prior
to finalizing the appraisal schedule, and may comprise a “Go/No Go” decision
for the appraisal in some situations. The appraisal team will then review the
initial objective evidence in more detail (typically toward the end of the teamtraining
event) to begin formulating plans for how missing evidence will be
collected, and for the verification of the entire data set. This preliminary
readiness review is the basis for the data collection plan, which is described in
the next process, Prepare for Collection of Objective Evidence.
Continued on next page
CMU/SEI-2001-HB-001
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