CM Audits

There are two types of CM Audits:

1. Physical Configuration Audit: To determine that the configuration item conforms to physical characteristics expected.
2. Functional Configuration Audit: To verify that a Configuration Item’s actual performance agrees with its software requirements.

Configuration audits are performed differently for development and maintenance projects.

For development projects:

• When software is being delivered / major release
• End of each phase

For maintenance projects:

• Periodically, considering that there are no major releases.

CMMI L2 and L3 - Critical Differences

Level 2 organizations do not plan to manage project risks. Risks could possibly become issues as the project progresses. Therefore, it is important to identify the potential risks, prioritize them according to the impact they might have on the project, and revisit them at regular intervals. While this happens at Level3, it is missing at L2.

1. Define Phase

In the Define phase, we identify and get approval for six sigma projects. i.e. identify potential projects, shortlist them based on risk / effort / impact, and create a charter for the selected project.

So, the steps involved in the Define phase are:

1. Identify potential projects
2. Define the problem and objective
3. Shortlist projects based on risk, effort, impact
4. Create process overview maps (bird's eye view of the process)
5. Define project scope using SIPOC (Supplier, Input, Process, Output, and Customer)

When identifying projects for six sigma green belt, you should take into account not only the voice of business, but also voice of customer, cost of poor quality, and service quality gaps. This would lead to identification of factors critical to quality for your company. Against each project, list the related VOC, VOB, COPQ, and service quality gaps.

The ideal project will have the following characteristics:

a. Chronic problem (problem keeps recurring)
b. Huge impact on business (the problem should have direct benefits in terms of impact on the company's business)
c. Low risk (the project should carry low risk)
d. Less effort (you should be able to finish the project within a given timeframe)

The above combination is not realistic in the sense that it is difficult to find projects that have all these characteristics. A more realistic approach would be checking each project's Risk vs. Effort vs. Impact. Choose projects that have high impact, less effort and run low risk.

8 D Problem-solving Technique

1. D0 - Prepare
2. D1 - Establish the team
3. D2 - Describe the problem
4. D3 - Interim containtment action (to safeguard the customer, place a temporary solution)
5. D4 - Define and verify root cause and escape point (a point where the problem could have been cought but was not)
6. D5 - Permanent Corrective Action (PCA) : This solution would solve the problem of the team facing it, and not the entire org.
7. D6 - Implement and validate the PCA : Check if the placed solution works.
8. D7 - Prevent occurrence: prevent occurrence of the event for ever so that it can be prevented from occurring in all projects across the org.
9. D8 - Recognize

5 Whys...

You will reach the root cause within 5 whys.

1. Why X has happened?
Because of some Y....
2. Why did Y occur?
Because of factor Y1
3. Why did Y1 occur?
Because of Y2
4. Why did Y2 occur?
Because of Y3
5. Why did Y3 occur
ANSWER