Process Capability for the Asking
Abstract
To gauge a contractor's process maturity (on individual programs), the Defense Contract Management Agency has applied the Software Engineering Institute's (SEI's) Capability Maturity Model (trademark). While being incrementally deployed this effort is already paying benefits to program offices, contractors, and the Department of Defense. The goal remains continuous process improvement to ensure the warfighter, the end user, receives the highest quality systems. DCMA was always required and continues to conduct evaluations of contractors' software development processes per the FAR. The agency is now deploying a standard methodology via continuous process evaluations that is organized in the CMM, the common DoD language, and is based on the day-to-day observations of the in-plant DCMA personnel. Findings are peer-reviewed, and all data is freely shared with the applicable contractor and is available to government program offices. While full agency implementation will not occur until spring 2002, the approach has been developed with SEI affiliates and is currently in pilot testing at 45 percent of DCMA field locations. Program offices, the contractors, and the DoD are already realizing benefits. So, how much does the agency believe in using this approach to gauge contractor operations? Enough so that we are walking the walk and measuring our operations to the same framework.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADA486991
Entities
People
- Robert J. Lang
Organizations
- Defense Contract Management Agency