Do all SCAMPI Appraisal Team Members need to be trained?

Dear Appraiser:

We are currently in the process of going for CMMI L2 & L3 appraisal, my senior management has a question regarding Appraisal Team Members (ATMs) that will under-go the official CMMI training [Introduction to CMMI].

Our consultant proposed 7 ATM’s and will train them. From a sustainability point of view, if some of the ATM’s leave the organization in the future what is the procedure to get additional training  for new members in the future?

Is it mandatory to have ATM’s go through official introduction to CMMI training class?

Thank you in advance for your guidance.  ~Ramesh.

Great question!

Being on a SCAMPI Appraisal Team is serious business, as the ATMs are being asked to gather and evaluate objective evidence, and then develop an inventory of strengths and weaknesses that will be used to improve the performance of the appraised origination.

For obvious reasons, Appraisal Team Members need to be both experienced and trained.  Their experience and domain knowledge helps them understand how the CMMI may be used to improve performance, and "model knowledge" of CMMI helps them understand and apply the practices in a common way that makes sense to everyone on the team.

All prospective Appraisal Team Members must meet basic experience requirements (it's safe to assume no "newbies" or interns will qualify) as defined in the SCAMPI Method Definition Document (MDD), and total team experience must be at least 25 years, not including the Lead Appraiser.

It's not as hard to meet this requirement as you may think.  I'm working on an Appraisal this week with combined team experience of over 130 years!

In addition to experience requirements, there are also training requirements.  Appraisal Team Members must have completed at least one offering of "Introduction to CMMI" (v1.2 or v1.3) in the constellation they are using to appraise their organization (DEV, SVC, of ACQ), and must also have completed a SCAMPI Appraisal Team Training class provided specifically for that appraisal by the Lead Appraiser.

Appraisal Teams that are not well trained, or those with limited experience, will find it difficult to add value to the company during a SCAMPI A Appraisal.  Experienced and well-trained teams usually add significant value - so it's well worth doing!

Good luck - and enjoy your training!

Like this blog? Forward to your nearest engineering or software exec!

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

Visit www.broadswordsolutions.com for more information about engineering strategy,performance innovation, software process improvement and running a successful CMMI program.

I was selected to be an Appraisal Team Member but I don't show up on the SEI's site. What gives?

My company is now working on the CMMI-3 appraisal. I attended the "Intro to CMMI" training and also successfully registered as an ATM on the SEI website. Two weeks later, I'm still not showing up in the SEI's system.
I was told by the CMMI consultant to check "My Appraisals", but unfortunately, till now nothing can be found (http://sas.sei.cmu.edu/AppSys/).  I think the Lead Appraiser has NOT selected me from the pool.

What concerns me is any adverse impact on my company's CMMI-3 appraisal if still nothing can be found in "My Appraisals" by the start (even the end) of SCAMPI A appraisal ?

Could you please kindly tell me the criteria for an ATM to participate on a CMMI-3 appraisal?



In order for you to participate and be added to an appraisal a few things have to happen.

     - You need to successfully complete the Intro to CMMI course

     - You have to demonstrate the pre-requisite experience as outlined in the SCAMPI MDD for engineers, project managers, or managers

    - You need to fill out, sign, and submit the SEI’s FERPA form (if you are in the USA)  

    - You need to register on the SEI’s ATM Pool registration page (sas.sei.cmu.edu).  If you were able to do this then the first two items were satisfied.

    - Your Lead Appraiser must create the Appraisal Record in SAS

    - Your Lead Appraiser must add you to the appraisal as an ATM

    - You need to complete the SCAMPI Team Training given by your LA

 This all should be done prior to starting the appraisal, but it MUST be done by the end of the it. 

From your message it sounds as if your LA has either not created the appraisal record, or if they have, has not added you the appraisal team.

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