CMMI Pilot in SA
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Using local consultants and appraisers, the JCSE is conducting a local CMMI pilot programme. The pilot has two important elements. Firstly, it will be used to build a strong case to present to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) requesting Government’s support for the mass adoption of CMMI as a tool to improve business processes within local companies.
This process has been fully supported by government with the DTI ploughing almost R1.5 million into CMMI in 2007 and the CoJ which provided funding for a CMMI awareness campaign.
Secondly, the pilot will form part of a broader international research project being conducted by SEI, which is examining the use of CMMI in a smaller organisations.
This pilot programme involves the CMMI certification of a number of organisations including the State IT Agency (Sita), First National Bank (FNB), Psybergate, Wits University’s Computing Services, IBM and others. As the project progresses, the JCSE will feedback the results of the project to the SEI, which will be comparing results from various projects being conducted around the world.
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The participating organisations have been sending their employees on the three day introduction course to learn about the five levels of maturity defined within CMMI. On the intensive three day introductory course attendees gain a deep understanding of the CMMI model and how it is used as a practical tool to support process improvement. They then return to their companies to assist them in preparing for a formal CMMI appraisal.
These appraisals will be carried out by the JCSE using South African accredited SCAMPI (Standard CMMI Appraisal Method for Process Improvement) Team Leaders and Lead Appraisers by the SEI. Companies are assessed formally over a period of about a week. They then receive an official CMMI maturity level. And with CMMI , if a company is rated at say level three, the appraisal will also give the company insight into what it needs to do to improve its processes to move up to level four and five.
The City of Johannesburg (CoJ) is providing partial funding for three small to medium enterprises chosen from to become part of the pilot programme.