OBJECTIVE:

Process improvement provides a method for the continuous improvement of processes and products over the project life cycle. These process improvements are transferable to future projects [development, operations & maintenance, and retirement/replacement].

DESCRIPTION:

At the completion of each phase of a project life cycle, the processes and the quality of products delivered should be reviewed, assessed, and documented. At the completion of the project, the assessment for each phase should be reviewed and summarized as to its impact on the success or shortfalls which occurred during the project. The scope of the assessments should cover: processes [methods and techniques] used during the performance of each phase of the project, the quality of products produced, and the stakeholders [system's owner, consultants, vendors, and development teams] that were involved. Once documented, the assessment is used to improve the processes in place. Documented lessons learned will capture the "corporate" knowledge gained from the experience of the project. So, the lessons learned can be applied to remaining phases of the existing project and future projects. The assessment has three primary activities: planning, strategy, and performance. This assessment should be an on-going part of each project as part of an overall process improvement effort for the organization, which is described in chapter 7. This can be performed by the system's owner, other stakeholders, or an independent assessment team.

CONTEXT OF PROCESS:

PROCESS IMPROVEMENT PROCESS

Inputs:

Delivered phase products delivered products for the phase of work.

Process used actual process that was used for the phase of work.

Schedulesthat were used for the phase of work including the original schedule and any updates.

Budget/costs developed for the phase of work and any updates.

Control:

Project Plan/SEMP contains the process used to carry out each phase of the work, and to determine the process improvements for the project.

Enablers:

Stakeholder involvement is essential in process improvement. The stakeholders include the system's owner, development team, consultants, and all direct stakeholders who were involved in the phases of work.

Technical Reviews process is used to carry out the workshops and interview stakeholders on possible process improvements.

Outputs:

Lessons Learned Document for each phase of work will identify the strengths and weaknesses of the process and the products of the phase of work.

Updates to documented process will be developed as a result of the assessment, and recommended changes to existing documented processes.

Process Activities:

Plan Method of Assessment

Identify the set of assessment activities needed for the phase of interest. Identify roles and responsibilities, and the timeline for the assessment.

Identify the:

• purpose for the assessment
• scope of assessment
• assessment team qualifications
• team members who should be interviewed
• Phase products and processes which need to be assessed.

Perform Assessment

The methods of assessment include interviews, questionnaires, surveys, and workshops. What criteria are established for the documents needing review? For example, an assessment would compare the planned processes to the actual processes, and the planned deliverables with the actual deliverables

Consolidate and validate data

Document the constraints on the consolidation and validation of the data collected. For example, data that was needed but could not be collected because of security, intellectual, or proprietary information]  Collect and consolidate the data from observations of the products and processes in a way that can lead to unbiased conclusions and accurate observations. One technique is to perform two independent reviews and see if the results are the same.

Analyze assessment data

Reach assessment team consensus on findings, ratings, and validated observations from a minimum of two different sources. Identify strengths and weaknesses of the product and process under assessment.

Document lessons learned and updates to process

Document the lessons observed and reported from the assessment. Develop a plan to update the process and to migrate to the new and improved practices. Clearly linking the lessons documented to the upgrade of documented processes.

Where does the Process Improvement take place in the project timeline?