In order to better enumerate the sources of Six Sigma and CMMI individually, below is a brief listing of each set of ‘roots’. (Please be aware: Neither listing is 100% complete nor 100% agreed upon by practioners from within each field!)

Over the next several posts, I will discuss in this topic in greater detail.  Again, as I noted at the outset of this series, should you have any queries, concerns, or items you wish to see discussed, please use our contact page to let me know.

I guess I should note, it is my opinion that both CMMI and SixSigma efforts primarily involve human change, and human change is more about people and sociology than it is about numbers.  So in that spirit I will begin this series by noting that possibly the most obvious area of synchronicity between CMMI/SixSigma involves the recognition and need for high quality management communication.

Both worlds acknowledge and emphasize that good, effective communications form a key component in building effective process improvement programs.  A good process improvement communications network relies upon both clear and understandable message transmissions (just like an effective computer network does!).  Simply stated, conflicting messages, erroneous, or irrelevant information are the greatest contributors to process improvement project failures.  There is little more damaging to the success of a project or program than confusing, conflicting communications.

CMMI and Six Sigma both stress that preparing your organization for its improvement effort requires consistency in all messages and communications be they verbal, written, non-verbal, direct, or indirect.  It is essential that new or pre-existing process improvement concepts, tasks and efforts be stated in terms readily understood by those who are expected to embark on any change.  This means everyone must effectively be “in the loop”, including those you might assume are not going to be impacted.

If everyone is to understand your plan(s), it goes without saying, that those plan(s) must be communicated in terms everyone can understand!  Do not err by focusing on a too narrow subset of the population for your communications, better to over communicate than to ‘miss-communicate’.

Over the next several posts, I will discuss in this topic in greater detail.  Again, as I noted at the outset of this series, should you have any queries, concerns, or items you wish to see discussed, please use our contact page to let me know.

To set the stage, I must admit that as a high maturity lead appraiser I often hear questions regarding the relevancy of CMMI to Six Sigma (6sigma). Although it would be nice to have a simple reply to CMMI’s 6sigma relevancy, unfortunately, I do not.  In truth there really is no simple “Yes it is relevant” or “No it is not relevant” response. I should note here, that is where the title for this little series comes in… CMMI is, in fact, more or less relevant to 6sigma; it really is not a “yes” or “no” thing.

I guess that lets the cat out of the bag, doesn’t it?  You can stop reading here if all you want is my bottom line on the question; because I just provided it.  My hope is that you might remain curious enough to hear more on where things fit with each other and where they might not. It is doubtful that I will address all the “hits” or “misses”. In my series posts on this subject, I will, however, try to highlight some of the bigger boulders.

So that’s it for the teaser article.  “Watch this space for more” as I attempt to address the question of whether CMMI is relevant to SixSigma.

Assessment Signifies Engineering and Project Management Excellence

Hunt Valley, Md. – January 20, 2010 — AAI Corporation, an operating unit of Textron Systems, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced today that the company has been appraised to Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI®) Level 3. Covering systems engineering and project management functions within AAI’s Hunt Valley, Md., Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Test & Training Systems and Advanced Systems organizations, the successful December 2009 assessment was led by Mark Rabideau, a licensed lead assessor and Six Sigma master black belt from Process Enhancement Partners, Inc. appraisal to CMMI Level 3 is an explicit requirement in many U.S. military development solicitations.

The CMMI five-level model was developed by the Software Engineering Institute, a federally funded research and development center principally funded by the U.S. Department of Defense. Within the internationally recognized five-level guide to process improvement, Level 3 is titled “Defined,” which means that processes are proactive and tailored for the organization. Level 3 organizations such as AAI can configure and deploy processes to meet the unique circumstances of each development effort, then share best practices and data across the organization for continuous improvement.

AAI previously secured and maintains a CMMI Level 5 assessment for its systems software function. CMMI Level 5 is titled “ Optimizing,” and is an indication that the organization is focused on data-driven process improvement.

“At AAI, we have a culture of continuous improvement, grounded in the fact that the smarter and more efficiently we work, the faster we can make our products and services available to the troops that need them,” says Senior Vice President and General Manager Ellen Lord. “AAI’s achievement of CMMI Level 3 in program management and systems engineering, along with reappraisal of the software function at Level 5, highlight our ability to be both agile and competent in the application of engineering and management to development and integration of systems.”

About AAI

AAI Corporation and its indirect wholly owned subsidiaries Aerosonde Pty Ltd and ESL Defence Limited design, produce and support industry-leading aerospace and defense products and services, including unmanned aircraft and ground control technologies; high-fidelity training and simulation systems; automated aerospace test and maintenance equipment; armament systems; and logistical, engineering, supply chain and operational support services. AAI Corporation is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Textron Inc. More information is available at www.aaicorp.com.

About Textron Systems

Textron Systems Corporation has been providing innovative solutions to the defense, homeland security and aerospace communities for more than 50 years. Known for its unmanned aircraft systems, advanced marine craft, armored vehicles, intelligent battlefield and surveillance systems, intelligence software solutions, precision smart weapons, piston engines, test and training systems, and total life cycle sustainment services, Textron Systems includes AAI Corporation, Lycoming Engines, Overwatch, Textron Defense Systems and Textron Marine & Land Systems. Textron Systems Corporation is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Textron Inc. More information is available at www.textronsystems.com.

About Textron Inc.

Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, and Textron Systems. More information is available at www.textron.com.

Should you or your organization be interested in collaborating with PEP in this endeavor, please use our contact page to let us know.

…mark (Rabideau)

Can you use Six Sigma to achieve CMMI ML3 and higher?

The answer I have arrived at is an unequivocal, YES. To prove my point I just completed a Master Black Belt project that precisely attends to this assumption. Contact PEP for more information!

…mark

Mark’s final project involved the creation of a detailed program to assist engineering organizations attain CMMI version 1.2 Maturity Level 3 using 6 Sigma Techniques

Read the official announcement

Overview/ Scope

The purpose of PEP’s Continuous Improvement Method (P-CIM) is to:

• develop effective, productive continuous improvement programs for PEP’s Client software units
• provide guidance and mentoring to Client software functions in the use and tailoring of the CMMI® or Six Sigma techniques
• support each identified Client PI (Process Improvement) effort through both expert consultation and the independent expert evaluation of PI (Process Improvement) progress
• develop a phase review process for each identified Client for the purpose of effectively managing and monitoring its PI (Process Improvement) progress
• facilitate access to resources required by Client to successfully implement required project management and engineering/ services development techniques including processes already documented or implemented by other Client entities (this is coordinated through the Client).
• assist our Client organizations in developing and managing their PI (Process Improvement) action plans
• provide a forum for the prioritization and review of the organization’s improvement needs

Major Tasks

• select Client business units for P-CIM (Client / PEP responsibility)
• identify PEP resources to mentor targeted Business Units (PEP responsibility with Client approval)
• develop P-CIM Client specific plan (PEP responsibility with Client approval); write-up & document P-CIM detail (PEP responsibility) ;and develop criteria for and evaluate success criteria of the P-CIM Program (Client / PEP responsibility)
• baseline the software process capability of each selected software unit (Client Business Unit/ PEP responsibility) using one of PEP’s Appraisal Methods
• develop a specific P-CIM plan for each selected organization (Client Business Unit/ PEP responsibility)
• facilitate the development of a PI (Process Improvement) improvement plan for the selected target software unit (Client Business Unit/ PEP responsibility)
• work with Client Corporate to develop an approach for tracking & managing each unit’s PI (Process Improvement) progress (Client Corporate/ PEP responsibility)
• develop plans, in conjunction with our Client , to obtain resources required by the select units for their PI (Process Improvement) efforts (Client Business Unit/ PEP responsibility & Client )
• monitor each target organization’s PI (Process Improvement) progress, on an on-going basis, and report to Client Corporate (Client Business Unit/ PEP responsibility/ Client Corporate)
• develop an Client -wide reward program for PI (Process Improvement) progress (Client internal issue)

Method/ Approach

Our approach is as follows:

• PEP provides leadership in the development of a P-CIM program with both Client Corporate functions and the Local Client Organization
• PEP works collaboratively and as a mentor in the on-going improvement efforts with the Client Business Units, Corporate, and the Client

As anyone who has been involved in a CMMI based improvement effort certainly knows, CMMI provides an excellent set of guidelines for what needs to be done, but it only provides brief, and non-directive, insight in how-to achieve process improvement objectives. Six Sigma is almost exactly the opposite in this regard. Its emphasis is on how-to plan, guide and measure improvements.

Mark Rabideau has recently achieved his Black Belt in order to help his clients visualize and move successfully into this arena. Contact Mark Rabideau directly if you are interested in discussing how Six Sigma and CMMI can work effectively together.

Judah Mogilensky

Process Enhancement Partners, Inc. is one the oldest and most enduring SEI transition partner firms. We are headquartered in Franktown, Colorado with a major consulting office located in Silver Spring Maryland. PEP provides SEI licensed services in the areas of:

• SCAMPI Appraisals (all variants)
• Intro to CMMI-DEV & CMMI-SVC (SEI official offerings)
• Six Sigma
• Managing Technological Change
• and more…

Please review our site materials for additional details!