What do PMBOK, ISO9001:2000 and CMMI have in common February 9, 2008

What do PMBOK, ISO9001:2000 and CMMI have in common

What do PMBOK2000, ISO9001:2000 and CMMI have in common?Answer: All three are process-oriented approaches.

PMBOK2000 takes a systematic process-oriented approach to defining what is project management.Five processes are always at play within a project. These five processes (Initiating, Planning,Executing,Controling and
Closing) exist in every phases of a project.

PMI further breaks down project management in 9 knowledge areas.

1. Project Integration Management
2. Project Scope Management
3. Project Time Management
4. Project Cost Management
5. Project Quality Management
6. Project H.R. Management
7. Project Communication Management
8. Project Risk Management
9. Project Procurement Management

Each area is broken down into independent processes.
For example Project Time Management is made up
of 5 processes.

1.Activity Definition Process
2.Activity Sequencing Process
3.Activity Duration Process
4.Schedule Development Process
5.Schedule Control Process

The process approach is very powerful. Each process has defined inputs, outputs and PMI adds Tools and Techniques descriptions for each process.

The PMBOK comprehensively models the processes that constitute project management.

Personally, I find that PMI should have used standard modelling techniques such as DataFlow Diagrams or UML to fully describe the model. Data Flow and Process Modelling techniques lead to more balanced models. Data Flow diagrams have been recently introduced in the PMI-BOK but the inputs and the outputs aren’t all balanced which somewhat defeats the purpose of DFDs.

Nevertheless it is a very comprehensive model. It is great for analysis of missing project management elements.

The process approach has led to a more rigorous project management technique. Once one figures out how to implement the processes in the model.

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ISO9001:2000

ISO has finally understood the importance of processes. It has totally revamped the standard to make it process-oriented. All work in an organization is executed within a process. A process view of the organization
makes it easier to implement and improve quality. ISO9001:2000 also now takes a systems approach to management. It takes into account the interaction between the processes. Organizations must manage,measure,analyze and continually improve the processes in their Quality Management System.

The process approach is a significant paradigm shift from the 20 requirements approach of ISO9001:1994.

The Quality Manual itself can now be written in a procedural fashion or a process oriented fashion.

We have been encouraging organizations to use DFD diagrams to define their Quality Management Systems for several years. Those who use such a structured analysis approach will easily visualize the Quality processes. The DFD approach
leads to a balanced system where all inputs and outputs are treated and accounted for.

ISO90003 has replaced ISO9000-3:1987. ISO9000-3 was a very good standard. ISO90003 will make it easier for those in a process oriented world such as CMMI.

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CMMI

CMMI is as process-oriented as it comes. Most if not all of the CMMI processes are documented with DFD’s
making CMMI process areas a very comprehensive balanced system.

CCMI Process Areas and Processes

Process Management

Organizational Process Definition
Organizational Process Focus
Organizational Training
Organizational Process Performance
Organizational Innovation and Deployment

Project Management
Project Planning Process
Project Monitoring and Control
Supplier Agreement Management Process
Integrated Project Management
Risk Management
Integrated Teaming
Integrated Supplier Management
Quantitative Project Management

Engineering
Requirements Management
Requirements Development
Technical Solution
Product Integration
Verification
Validation

Support area
Configuration Management
Process and Quality Assurance
Measurement and Analysis
Decision Analysis and Resolution
Organizational Environment
Causal Analysis and Resolution

Each of these main processes are further broken down and a DFD/Contex Diagram is available for each.

Example – Generic Diagram for the Organizational Training process.

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Finally we have a unified approach between the major standards affecting our software engineering functions.
Systems and Process Training is now becoming very valuable. UML still needs some improvements before it
can be used successfully in project management, quality management and cmmi. It is only a matter of
time before we can use UML within PM,QM and CMM. Until then we strongly recommend sticking to the techniques
of Structured rather than object.

Running out of time…

ISO90003 February 9, 2008

What is ISO90003?

What is ISO90003?

The one sentence answer is that “ISO90003 is the guide that will help you interpret
ISO9001:2000 guidelines if you are trying to implement them for Software Development.

ISO has recently released its ISO9001:2000 Quality Management System Requirements.
ISO9001:2000 replaces ISO9000:1994 as the leading standard for Quality Management System.
The document encourages to create a Customer-Focused organization with strong leadership, vision,
goals objectives and plans. It encourages a process view of the organization and systems approach to
quality management. Continual improvement now is part of the standard and people including suppliers
have to be involved in the quality seeking effort.

The ISO9001:2000 document is a drastic improvement of the ISO9000:1994 standard which had 20 requirement elements.
This represents a reduction in documentation requireents.The new standard is organized along five classes instead of the 20 elements. The classes are

1.Quality Management System
2.Management Responsibility
3.Resource Management
4.Product Realization (This is where software is relatively more complex!)
5.Measurement, Analysis and Improvement

Because ISO9001:2000 is generic to all industries and sectors, it is a bit difficult to interpret
in an industry with complex processes such as the Software Development Industry. ISO has very recently (2004-02-15)
released the first edition of ISO/IEC 90003 Software Engineering – Guidelines for the application of ISO9001:2000
to computer software.

The ISO90003 document replaces the older ISO9000-3 guidelines for the application of ISO9001 to the development, supply and
maintenance of software. ISO9000-3 represented the minimal things you should do to obtain quality if you were
building software in a contract environment. We still think that it is one of the best software engineering
documents ever produced by any organization. It did have some weaknesses but if you combined it with other
documents such as 9004-2 for the services industry it provided a very down to earth and much needed standard.

The ISO90003 document examines each of the ISO9001:2000 requirements and explains what should be done
in the software development world to comply to the requirements. It does not, however, tell you how to comply.

For example there is a requirement in 9001:2000 that says that system documentation shall include the
documents needed by the organization to ensure effective planning, operation and control of it’s processes.
ISO90003 states the requirement and adds 5 types of documents that could satisfy this requirement.
One of these documents is a description of the life cycle models used.

If you understand ISO9001:2000 ISO90003 gives you ideas on what must be done in the software industry.
The information is useful but unless you have been following the quality movement for a while you might
find it a bit difficult to determine how things must be done. They tell you what… you must figure how.

Usually designing a Quality Management System to a standard would be easy. However, ISO9001:2000 is very
recent and few have implemented it in the software world. It will be very difficult to find samples and templates on
the internet. Designing a QMS compliant to the older versions is easier because of the abundance of sample
quality manuals available.

In their 9001:2000 standard, ISO has embraced a process-oriented approach to quality management.
Because of this process-oriented approach, ISO12207′s process-oriented
framework for software life cycle processes, activities and tasks is a great complement to ISO90003.

It is important to know that one cannot be registered to ISO90003. You get a certificate for ISO9001:2000 only.

Final tought!

A Quality Management System is an information system. If you know how to design and implement systems that
answer to requirements you will have no trouble designing an ISO9001:2000 compliant Quality Management System.
No trouble, as long as you can understand requirements that come from a standard. Usually we get a chance
to sit with the client. In this case you must understand Quality and ISO philosophy before you start.

We strongly engourage the use of context diagrams and DFD’s when designing the System. This will
lead to a balanced system with all inputs and outputs being addressed. It will make progressive elaboration
of the processes much easier than other methods.