Target Audience: Project managers, business partners who are impacted by software process improvement initiatives, analysts who work on quality issues.

Description:
This course introduces and then examines the fundamentals of the CMMI and of Six Sigma to discover the underlying principles which make these enduring models for process improvement.  The Project Management Body of Knowledge is included in the discussion to help understand the relationship to other management disciplines.  The differences and similarities are discussed so that students come away understanding the pros and cons, and the concepts which need to be applied, regardless of the label attached to the particular methodology.

Topics:

• Acquaint the student with background, vocabulary and major concepts of the CMMI

  • History of the SEI

  • Structure of the CMMI

  • IDEAL Model

• Acquaint the student with background, vocabulary and major concepts of Six Sigma

  • History of Six Sigma
  • DMAIC
  • Belt colors and what they stand for

• Acquaint the student with background, vocabulary and major concepts of the Project Management Body of Knowledge

  • History of the PMI
  • Standards & Knowledge Areas
  • Importance of Risk Management

• Challenge the student's thinking about how models help isolate issues so that they can be examined and solutions to problems can be formulated.  Discuss how the right model can be the right solution for some problems and may not be the right solution for others.

Prerequisites:  Familiarity with Software Development Issues