PMO To Go IT Process Assessment services assist companies like yours by providing independent, objective expertise to assess IT and project management processes using established industry models. We support our clients in efforts to establish effective internal processes and best practices for the development and support of Information Technology solutions.  Our methods lead to the empowerment of client staff and the enhancement of their skills, leading to greater levels of commitment to the processes and the end results.

Our practical, unbiased, standards-based approach assesses:

• Current organizational alignment of IT and business strategy

• IT Process maturity and capability

• Information system adaptation  (technology, specifications, formal delivery, deployment)

• The human factors and requirements for change management

Our internationally respected Assessors average twenty-five years of industry experience and understand the importance of delivering neutral, unbiased assessments of your IT organization and practices, using established methods, such as the Software Engineering Institute’s Capability Maturity Model (SEI CMM). We focus on identifying gaps and providing valuable recommendations on IT function effectiveness.  We will implement methods, tools and techniques to achieve knowledge transfer to your organization and will use formal plans that measure the success of the transfer.

With global change becoming more rapid and the related costs of slow response increasing accordingly, greater leadership, skills and assessments are required at every level to keep companies competitive!  In this environment of change, it is critical for projects to succeed to ensure overall business success. Successful completion of projects is ensured by the successful execution of proven processes that address the management of project requirements, project planning, project tracking and control, outsourcing, quality assurance and configuration management.

Most IT organizations cannot readily determine the capability of their system development processes.  These organizations may spend substantial amounts of money for project development activities and still have projects delivered late and over budget.  The lack of a repeatable process that can ensure consistency and success is hindering the ability to deliver reliable solutions at a time when the world is moving at “Internet speed”.

Improvement programs based on insufficient data are ineffective.  It is important to establish a baseline for the current process capability and understand what to address first in the continuous process improvement journey.

To clearly establish a baseline of current performance, PMO To Go performs IT development assessments based on the SEI CMM. These assessments can be completed quickly and provide reliable results. More importantly, the assessments produce a series of recommendations aimed at improving the current software capability and reducing project risk. SEI CMM-based assessments are conducted with the assistance of your staff, leading to direct knowledge transfer and to an appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of the IT organization.
How does it work? - We establish an assessment team that is staffed with PMO To Go assessors and your IT project staff. Through the use of questionnaires and in-depth interviews, the assessment team will evaluate the practices in use in the organization against the practices defined in the SEI CMM.
Evidence of compliance is required to satisfy the key practices of the five levels of the SEI CMM.
Final assessment findings are compiled at the end of the appraisal effort that will typically last one week.  The assessment findings will contain a rating for the organization, along with strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations.

The rating will place the organization at one of the five levels of the SEI CMM:

• Level 1 – Informal, ad-hoc practices are used in the organization.

• Level 2 – A repeatable process based on the effective management of requirements, project planning and control, sub-contractors; quality assurance and configuration management are in place in the organization.

• Level 3 – A rigorous IT process based on the integration of project management and software engineering is in place in the organization.  All

  stakeholders are involved in the successful implementation of projects.

• Level 4 – The process includes provision for effective quality control and quality assurance.

• Level 5 – The process is enhanced with new technology and continuously improved.  Defect prevention practices are in place.

Assessments:                                                             

• Software Development and Enhancement Processes

• Software Acquisition Processes

• People Management Processes

Benefits of Assessments:

• Independent, unbiased assessment of the IT organization and projects

• Clearly prioritized improvement needs

• Reduced cost to deliver future IT solutions

• Lower risk of future schedule overruns

• Repeatable success on future projects

• Future crisis prevention

• Structured approach to process appraisals

Assessment Method:

Our approach is simple and effective:

• Pre-assessment team training

• SEI CMM Software Process Assessment

• Assessment findings report

Assessment Focus:

• Discrete IT department or IT group

• Four to five projects assessed

• Analysis of processes for requirements management, project planning and tracking, sub-contract management, quality assurance and configuration management

Assessment Findings:

• SEI CMM Rating (1 to 5)

• Strengths, Weaknesses

• Recommendations

Industry Services

Energy, Utilities, Manufacturing, Financial Services, Government, Healthcare, High Technology, Retail/Consumer, Web Systems and Services, Telecommunication