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.

Appraisal Team Size

We are a small IT company (40 members) that wants to get Maturity Level 3 as a first effort. We are thinking about forming an appraisal team (for a SCAMPI A appraisal) composed of 3 internal members and 1 external team leader. Is there any problem or recommendation about this approach?

The SCAMPI method requires a minimum appraisal team size of four people including the Lead Appraiser. And it is a good practice to have at least two appraisal team members be from the organization being appraised. So having three internal team members plus the Lead Appraiser meets the minimum SCAMPI requirements for an appraisal. From my experience, I would suggest adding some external team members. Having additional people will ease the burden on the team for evaluating the evidence and will also provide some outside perspectives on your processes. Your Lead Appraiser should be able to suggest the proper team size and recommend some external team members. And many times, external team members are willing to participate for free since they may be looking for appraisals in order to maintain their credentials, etc.