Monday, October 13, 2008
Enterprise Architecture: Does CMMi encourage worst practices?
Have you ever noticed that the only places that are current CMMI Level 5 are places where programmers get paid peanuts! Maybe underpayment of staff is required to afford the overhead of CMMi...
It is important that Architects stop embracing hybrid thinking as this is a mental disorder. While the primary purpose of the quest for process quality is product quality, the theory that the quality of a product is dependent on the quality of the process used to produce it is flawed. Of course, if you look hard enough, you can find relationships between any two observations. For example, did you know that the price of tea in China correlates well with the quality (or lack of) of code written by Indian outsourcing firms?
There is a distinction between product quality and process quality. Process quality focuses on the ability of an organization to meet budget and schedule commitments. Having documented, repeatable, measurable processes helps with estimation. Software quality is not really the focus, except that an organization must be able to predict when the product will have a sufficiently high level of quality to be considered "finished" and an organization that makes good estimates won't find itself in a position where it has to change plans and trade quality for time or money.
Ever been to McDonalds? Bet you didn't know that they are CMM Level five? Does anyone think that McDonalds product quality is high? I wonder what the relationship is between flipping burgers at McDonalds and the quality of code produced in India?
| | View blog reactionsIt is important that Architects stop embracing hybrid thinking as this is a mental disorder. While the primary purpose of the quest for process quality is product quality, the theory that the quality of a product is dependent on the quality of the process used to produce it is flawed. Of course, if you look hard enough, you can find relationships between any two observations. For example, did you know that the price of tea in China correlates well with the quality (or lack of) of code written by Indian outsourcing firms?
There is a distinction between product quality and process quality. Process quality focuses on the ability of an organization to meet budget and schedule commitments. Having documented, repeatable, measurable processes helps with estimation. Software quality is not really the focus, except that an organization must be able to predict when the product will have a sufficiently high level of quality to be considered "finished" and an organization that makes good estimates won't find itself in a position where it has to change plans and trade quality for time or money.
Ever been to McDonalds? Bet you didn't know that they are CMM Level five? Does anyone think that McDonalds product quality is high? I wonder what the relationship is between flipping burgers at McDonalds and the quality of code produced in India?
