SCAMPI Document Review

I have two questions or requests for clarification:

• During the document review in SCAMPI B, wherever we do not have a doc, ppt, or xls as an artifact, we provide screenshots from tools where the planning and tracking are done.  However, our Lead Appraiser (LA) is asking for access to tools for all the ATMs.  But it is not possible to give access to certain tools as they are client specific and only the team working on the project gets access (that too after signing an NDA).  How do we handle this situation?  Even if the tool is internal, access is very much restricted based on role in the project.  Can the LA really require access to tools for all ATMs, which is not allowed as per the policy of an organization?  Is there a guideline on what process to follow in case access to certain tools or application is restricted? 

• Is there a material, which shows a linkage of all the PAs (representing interaction of PAs) and gives a holistic view of CMMI PAs when applied to an organization at Maturity L5. This is more from a training perspective. 

Have you explained these restrictions to your Lead Appraiser?  The Lead Appraiser should be flexible regarding access to restricted tools.  As a Lead Appraiser, I would find the screen shots as acceptable evidence in your situation.  And if I wanted or needed to view additional evidence, I would request that you provide a demonstration of the tool by an authorized user and have this person be directed by the ATMs or Lead Appraiser to view specific information.  I have used screen shots as evidence on numerous appraisals in the past.  The SCAMPI method allows for screen shots and tool demos for just such reasons as yours.  If your Lead Appraiser is unwilling to abide by your restrictions on tool access, then I would strongly urge you to find a new Lead Appraiser and possibly report him or her to the SEI.

Look in Chapter 4 of the CMMI-DEV book and you will find a series of diagrams that show the linkages between the PAs at a very high level.

SCAMPI A Appraisal Questions for FAR Groups

Can you share the Questionnaires for a ML 3 SCAMPI A appraisal? Currently my organization is preparing for SCAMPI A and I want to trained the interviewees as this is their first experience an appraisal.

I am looking for some questions based on each Process Area, so the FAR Group Members will be prepared to answer them.

I have searched on Google but not able to find any information. :(

I am not surprised that you have not been able to find what you are looking for on the internet. A Lead Appraiser will not share his or her questions with you. Simply because the Lead Appraiser does not want the interviewees to be trained on what answers to provide, thereby biasing the results of any SCAMPI appraisal. If you and the organization are nervous about the appraisal, don’t be. There is no preparation for the interviews necessary. All that is expected by the Lead Appraiser is that any interviewee should be able to talk about HOW they perform their job duties. If people cannot do that, then the organization is not ready for an appraisal.

If you still feel uneasy, talk to your Lead Appraiser and have him or her conduct a Class B appraisal with interviews. A Class B or SCAMPI B appraisal can function as a dress rehearsal for a SCAMPI A without having the organization and the people worry about “flunking” or “passing” the appraisal. The interviewees will have the experience of being interviewed.

If you still want to perform an internal set of interviews, simply take the CMMI and step through the applicable practices with different groups of people (project managers, configuration managers, developers, testers, etc.) and ask them HOW they perform the Specific and Generic Practices. There is no set of standard questions. Each Lead Appraiser has their own style of questioning interviewees.

What Class of SCAMPI Appraisal is Appropriate?

My organization has just started our process improvement journey. For our first appraisal, which SCAMPI class (A, B, or C) should we use?

I would strongly suggest that your organization hire either a SCAMPI Lead Appraiser or a SCAMPI B/C Team Leader to help you determine which SCAMPI appraisal A, B, or C would be best for your organization. In order for you to obtain the best information and useful results, you need to use either an SEI-trained and authorized SCAMPI B/C Team Leader or a SCAMPI A Lead Appraiser. Do not attempt to do this by yourself.

For a new client, I typically recommend an initial Gap Analysis to provide a starting point for determining the path forward. The Gap Analysis, depending upon its rigor, can be either a SCAMPI C or a SCAMPI B.

Computing a Process-Compliance Index

I am interested in building a dashboard tool for measuring compliance to the CMMI process areas for specific projects. Would you have any insight on how a process-compliance index could be computed?

What immediately comes to mind is the scoring system for a Class B appraisal. For each practice Green is Satisfied, Yellow is Partially Satisfied, and Red in Unsatisfied. You can then use these colors for your dashboard and chart the movement from red to yellow to green.

Appraisal Team Size Redux

For a continuous appraisal of lets say 1 to 2 PAs, does the minimum 4 ATM for SCAMPI A still apply? Seems unreasonable to me. The MDD does not appear to address any tailoring option on this for continuous appraisals.

The SCAMPI Method Description Document (MDD) is clear that the minimum appraisal team size is 4 people. You raise an interesting point. Forgetting the team size for the moment, why would an organization go through the expense of a SCAMPI A just for one or two Process Areas? To me that just doesn’t appear to be a good use of the organization’s money. Seems to me that the organization would be better served by a Continuous SCAMPI A evaluating 4 or more PAs that would provide a better indication to the organization. Now you may want to perform a Class C or Class B on one or two PAs. That makes sense and there are no team size limitations on Bs and Cs. In fact, the Lead Appraiser could be the only person on the team then.

Mock CMMI Appraisal

My Organisation is planning to conduct a CMMi mock assessment soon. Googling for the same has not helped me out so I am asking if you could share the mock assessment questions if possible.

I would assume the reason that your organization would be conducting a CMMI mock appraisal would be to prepare you for the formal SCAMPI A appraisal. Basically a dress rehearsal, which should be led by your Lead Appraiser. What you are asking for is a SCAMPI B appraisal. Do not attempt to conduct this internally without a Lead Appraiser, unless you have someone internally who is a SCAMPI B or C Team Lead.

A dress rehearsal is an excellent exercise to conduct. It helps put everyone at ease and provides practical experience in what to expect for the formal SCAMPI A. Therefore, the interview questions for the mock appraisal should be the same as those asked in a SCAMPI A. But again, these questions should be asked by the Lead Appraiser, otherwise you run the risk of misinterpreting the model, the evidence, or asking inappropriate questions.