Systematic process improvement using ISO 9001:2000 and CMMI

2.3 Typical process improvement approaches 19
• Process assessment describes an actual process capability that can be
compared to a target capability.
• Process improvement is a continuous process.
• Process improvement should be implemented as a project.
• Use measurements for monitoring process improvement progress and
for making corrections.
• Use process assessments to determine if desired process improvement
results were met.
• Perform risk management by assessing implementation risk as well
as the risk of failure in the improvement initiative.
As an international standard, ISO TR 15504 contains all the necessary
tools for implementing process improvement including the reference model,
process assessment guidelines, and process improvement planning guidelines.
Although Part 7 is an integral part of the standard, it does not mandate
the use of a specific process model or assessment methodology, thus enabling
organizations to use any compatible framework or assessment method.
The process improvement approach has eight steps based on the process
improvement principles just described. Those steps are shown in Figure 2.2
and listed here:
1. Examine the organization’s needs and business goals. Each organization
needs to establish its process improvement goals and link them to
business objectives and goals. An additional benefit of stating process
improvement goals in terms of business objectives is that senior
management gets meaningful visibility into process improvement
results.
2. Initiate process improvement. Experience shows that the most successful
process improvement efforts are run as projects and are based on
written plans. Process improvement plans specify the process
improvement scope (in terms of organizational entities and processes
to be included in the improvement effort), outline project phases,
establish milestones, and identify risks and the management
approach.
3. Prepare for and conduct a process assessment. To measure progress and
the success of a process improvement initiative, a process baseline
is required. Several assessment methods, associated with particular