What Process Areas should the SEPG be assessed on?

Dear Appraiser, 


In planning an SEPG review, I am including OPD, OPF, and OT Process Areas in scope.  Am I on the right track for an internal audit that is limited to the SEPG group covering only those 3 PA's?


I have a PPQA role in the organization and have been asked to do an internal SEPG review of a newly formed development group targeting a CMMI Appraisal at ML3 in 2012 ~Ingrid


Dear Ingrid,

When you say "SEPG" I am going to assume you mean "the people responsible for the process."  The SEPG is not strictly part of CMMI, but in my CMMI Training classes I spend a good deal of time talking about the role and types of people who should serve in this important group.  This group goes by many names (a little bit like Gandalf in Lord of the Rings), but usually focuses on the prioritization, approval, development, deployment, and monitoring of the set of techniques and processes used by your organization.

If you started 10 years ago, you must have a very mature SEPG with its own processes that are improved, maintained and monitored.  If you're close to being appraised at ML3, I'm sure you have ALL of that under control! ;)

As steward of the process, the SEPG (or EPG, EPI, SPEG, PIT, etc) performs and improves many of the practices in OPF, OPD, and sometimes even OT.  I say "many" because there are some that address process infrastructure (like "Process Asset Library" and "Measurement Repository") that are not practices at all.  And then there are some that are often performed by other people like "Deliver Training" in OT.  The SEI has done a decent job at spreading the wealth!

So OPD and OPF are good places to start.  Easy right?  

WAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIT!  Not so fast!

Depending on how it has been structured over the year, there are probably other practices to consider.  The CMMI Appraiser in me is asking "how about GP 2.8" for all of the Process Areas?"  Who is monitoring the process if not the SEPG?  How about GP2.9 and the aggregate data that's collected for compliance?  Who is looking after that.  Trending of metrics?  Reporting to management on process performance (GP2.10)?  How about managing improvement ideas (GP3.2) and managing tailoring guidelines (IPM)?  These are all things a CMMI Appraiser or CMMI Instructor will be on the lookout for.

Another way to think about it, as opposed to by Process Area, is to consider all of the things needed to maintain, monitor, and improve the process infrastructure - and that's what you need to be looking at.  If the SEPG doesn't do those things - who does?  As a CMMI Consultant I often spend more time working with the SEPG than I do working withe teams to develop the process!


Training could be a whole other ball game.  Sometimes the SEPG handles training - sometimes it's part of HR or another part of the company.  Just remember that, if the SEPG handles it, they need to be sure that a training "capability" is in place.  Another word for that is "infrastructure."  If they sanction "OJT" as their method that might work, if they actually DO have OJT training that has an infrastructure.  With your sized organization I would assume a more formal program that included strategic and tactical plans, materials, trained trainers, and well defined training for practitioners by role. If I were providing CMMI Consulting to you, this is exactly what I would recommend.


Should people be trained on CMMI?  A lot of people (including CMMI Lead Appraiser's that I know) say "no."  I used to think this also.  But the last few years, whenever I teach an "internal" CMMI course" I always hear that they wished they had sent more people to the class.  Maybe that's because I include a lot of additional material about making it real though.

One more thing - the SEPG doesn't get a free pass.  They ALSO have all of the GP's to consider.  How are they being monitored?  Do they follow their process?  Are they trained?

It's important work - but you sound like the right person for the job.  Good luck! 

Jeff Dalton is a Certified SCAMPI Lead Appraiser, Certified CMMI Instructor, Candidate SCAMPI Team Leader Observer, author, and consultant with years of real-world experience with the CMMI in all types of organizations.  Jeff has taught thousands of students and has received an aggregate satisfaction score of 4.97 out of 5 from his students.

Learn more about CMMI Appraisals at www.broadswordsolutions.com

What are the qualifications required to be on a SCAMPI v1.3 Appraisal Team?

Mr. Appraiser, 

Sir, I was on your “Secrets of Scampi Appraisals” Webinar over the summer.  I believe you touched on the qualifications in the new SCAMPI 1.3 release about the make-up of the appraisal team.  Now that we are thinking about putting our team together, I don’t recall what you said about the new qualifications.

~ August A.

August, thanks for staying in touch.  I always encourage people who attend my CMMI webinars to come over to this blog at least once a week.  It’s a great way to keep the conversation going.

Your memory serves you right, August.  There was a big change in the method.  The Lead Appraiser’s qualifications are no longer factored into the appraisal team experience totals  For example, in previous versions of SCAMPI, with my 20+ years experience,  I could have met most of the experience requirements alone!  In the new release, however, the Lead Appraiser’s experience is not counted in - a smart move by the SEI IMHO.

As a result, your team will have to meet the 25-year experience criteria on their own.  Here are the qualifications I mentioned in the Webinar:

“Team members must have:

• An average of at least 6 years of field experience
• At least 2 years of experience performing the type of work addressed in each appraised Process Process Area they will be evaluating
• A team aggregate of 25 years of field experience relating to the content of each of the reference models in the scope of the appraisal.

The team (as a group):

• Must have a total of at least 10 years of management experience, and at least one team member must have at least 6 years of experience as a manager.
• Shall not be comprised primarily of staff that wrote the process being appraised.
• Shall not include the sponsor of the appraisal.
• Shall not include a senior manager who has supervisory authority over the entire organizational unit.
• Should not have any managers of the people being interviewed

AND . . . there should not be any reporting relationships WITHIN the appraisal team . . . just in case your boss is there to influence your "vote."

As you start to think about putting together your Appraisal Team, August, keep in mind that it still makes sense to hire the most experienced Lead Appraiser you can find.  His years of experience may not “count” with the SEI for Appraisal Teams, but it will certainly count with you.

 Jeff Dalton is a Certified SCAMPI Lead Appraiser, Certified CMMI Instructor, Candidate SCAMPI Appraiser Observer, author, and consultant with years of real-world experience with the CMMI in all types of organizations.  Jeff has taught thousands of students and has received an aggregate satisfaction score of 4.97 out of 5 from his students.

Learn more about CMMI Lead Appraisers and CMMI Appraisal Teams at www.broadswordsolutions.com