Using the People Capability Maturity Model with CMMI

Suzanne Couturiaux

This article originally appeared in the 2005.3 issue of news@sei. www.sei.cmu.edu/news-at-sei

For more information, contact:

Palma Buttles-Valdez, People CMM Team P: 412-268-5116 E: people-cmm@sei.cmu.edu www.sei.cmu.edu/cmm-p/version2 Software Engineering Institute Carnegie Mellon University 4500 Fifth Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15213-2612 P: 412-268-5800 F: 412-268-5758 E: customer-relations@sei.cmu.edu www.sei.cmu.edu

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In the 10 years since Version 1 of the People Capability Maturity Model (People CMM) framework was published, organizations in the United States and around the world have been using it as a guide to improve their workforce practices. The People CMM, which is compatible with the staged representation of Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) models, is a fivestage model that helps organizations address their critical people issues. It looks at the knowledge, skills, and process abilities you need to run the process and run the business, says Gian Wemyss, a member of the SEI People CMM team. Its a way to incorporate the people (human capital and human resources) aspects with process and technology.
Benefits Achieved

in employee satisfaction, and an increase in productivityfrom using the People CMM to manage and develop their workforces. For example, Boeing IT Services World Headquarters Support (which was assessed at Level 3 of the People CMM) is integrating its People CMM activities with company-wide CMM activities and has reported a 15% increase in its employee satisfaction index, a 50% reduction in post-release defects, and a 15% reduction in rework ratio. In 2002, Lockheed Martin Mission Systems (LM-MS), which was assessed at Level 3 of the People CMM in 1999, reported an annualized attrition of less than 6% and a steady reduction in its attrition rate. LM-MS has achieved Level 5 of the Software CMM and is using the People CMM to help sustain higher CMMI maturity levels via solid workforce practices. Some of the benefits that organizations achieve from using the People CMM are qualitative in nature. Wemyss says, The People CMM demands tying your workforce improvement to both your strategic plan and your operational plan, so you have a much clearer coupling of what your workforce is doing in relation to the plans and direction of the organization. It becomes clear how each persons knowledge, skills, and process abilities support the organizations operational and strategic plans. Organizations have also reported a greater linking between the human resources department and technical managers, states Wemyss. Because of the way the People CMM describes the practices, organizations understand what is a managers responsibility and

Theres a wonderful synergy when using the People CMM with CMMI, states Sally Miller, an author of the People CMM and member of the People CMM team. CMMI describes managing your project to get the work delivered, and the People CMM describes managing your people to ensure you have the right talent at the right place at the right time. Many organizationssuch as Boeing and Lockheed Martinare tying the People CMM with CMMI as part of their overall process improvement effort. Otherssuch as Novo Nordisk in Denmark and Intelare tying the People CMM with their strategic planning. They use the People CMM to bring improvement to the whole organization, says Wemyss. These organizations have reported a number of benefitssuch as a decrease in voluntary employee turnover, an increase

Using the People Capability Maturity Model with CMMI

The People CMM was originally developed by the SEI with support from the U.S. Army and Office of the Secretary of Defense. Until June 2005, TeraQuest Metrics (a process consulting firm) had responsibility for the commercialization of the People CMM and support of authorized People CMM assessors and instructors. With the recent acquisition of TeraQuest Metrics by Borland Software Corporation, these activities will now be handled by the SEI. Wemyss states, This will result in a Applying the People CMM with a Process greater tying of the People CMM with Improvement Effort CMMI. The People CMM product suite When applying the People CMM is going to parallel the CMMI product together with CMMI, it is important to suite. The courses offered by the SEI present the People CMM as a compofor the People CMM will be analogous nent of the organizations overall process to the courses offered for CMMI. improvement effort and not as a Currently, there is an introduction separate program or a human resources course and an intermediate concepts program alone. Organizations should course for CMMI, but there is only an blend their workforce development and introduction course for the People process improvement activities, integrate CMM. In 2006, the SEI plans to offer improvements into the organizations a new Intermediate Concepts of People operational fabric, and develop a strong CMM course. In addition, the SEI partnership between Human Resources plans to update the appraisal method and technical management. Miller adds, from the People CMM-based assessment Organizations that have been successful method to the Standard CMMI with either or both CMMI and the Appraisal Method for Process ImprovePeople CMM have made the models ment (SCAMPISM) method and will their own and incorporated them into announce SCAMPI training and the way they do their work on a regular instructor training for the People CMM. basis. Theyve taken the framework provided in the models and built it into The new intermediate course is focused their own standards. When introducing on implementation and will give attendmultiple improvement programs, an ees a better idea of how to apply the organization needs to assess the amount model. Wemyss states, The current of change it can absorb and stage the introduction course is about getting to

what is human resources responsibility. The People CMM enables technical managers and the human resources department to use a common language about workforce issues. Miller states, Managers and the human resources group are able to talk about workforce issues in a more collaborative way, take measurements on how the organizations practices are working, and use the measurements to improve predictability and take inventory. For example, many organizations face an aging workforce. Organizations need to take inventory of the knowledge and skills possessed by the employees who will be retiring and transfer that intellectual capital to the people who will remain in the organization. The People CMM helps an organization think about what its going to do in the future when the senior employees retire, says Miller.

introduction of the programs. For example, if an organization is at CMMI Level 2, project managers should first master their project management skills and then begin improvements guided by the People CMM to supplement their project management activities.
Plans to Update the People CMM Product Suite

know whats in the model; with the new intermediate course you can focus on a deeper knowledge of the model and on how to implement whats in the model in your own organization. With the addition of this new course, the training for people who want to become People CMM appraisers or instructors will parallel the training for CMMI appraisers and instructors. Miller explains, The path youll follow for the People CMM will be similar to the path youll follow for CMMI. The difference is the People CMM covers workforce practices, and CMMI covers project practices. The first pilot offering of the Intermediate Concepts course was held in September 2005 at the SEI. Currently, the People CMM based assessment method is used for appraisals against the People CMM, and SCAMPI is used for appraisals against the CMMI framework. The SCAMPI appraisal method will allow appraisal teams to use one method for both People CMM and CMMI appraisals. With this change, appraisal teams will no longer need to learn two appraisal methods, and organizations will be able to use lower cost appraisals (Class B and C) that dont result in a maturity rating to determine if their workforce improvement efforts are succeeding. Wemyss says, There was a pilot earlier this year at Tata Consultancy ServicesIndias largest system and software services organizationwhere SCAMPI was used against the two models. It saved money because you didnt need two teams, you didnt need to train the team in two different methods, and you could do two appraisals at once.
Capability Maturity Model, Carnegie Mellon, and CMMI are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by Carnegie Mellon University. SM SCAMPI is a service mark of Carnegie Mellon University. 2007 Carnegie Mellon University