Renovating in CMMI for Services level 2 provides both challenges and benefits for AMBISIG, a technological company. Some key benefits of renovating include keeping services clear and accountable, finding new sources of income through additional services, and helping customers more easily recognize the value of services. However, renovating also requires time, money, effort and can divert team focus. AMBISIG ultimately decided to renovate to continuously improve processes and services based on gaps identified in their previous CMMI evaluation.

1. Renovating in CMMI for Services 2 - Challenges and
benefits
Amsterdam, 15th of November 2013
Pedro Castro Henriques, Margarida Gonçalves; Bruno Sousa Martins;
Innovation in Software Quality

2. Agenda
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Introduction
Needs
Benefits
Challenges
Conclusions
1

3. Part I
INTRODUCTION
2

4. Presentation Goals – learner outcomes
• Why and when to revaluate/renovate a CMMI for Services level 2 companies
• The challenges associated with renovating … culturally …
• The benefits of renovating CMMI for Services in a level 2 organization
• Lessons Learned from renovating
3

5. About Strongstep
•
•
•
Strongstep is a company specialized in
software engineering that contributes to the
improvement of software quality in Portugal
and in the world
Universities
We want to induce a positive change in
organizations. This will represent a step with
a strong, sustainable and innovative way - a
strong step
Projects portfolio:
• Process improvement with CMMI DEV L2, L3, L5, CMMI
SRV, TSP/PSP, combining agile/CMMI, Six Sigma,
NP4457, Kanban, Scrum, ITIL, PMBOK, ISTQB, RUP
Strongstep
Reference
Institutions
Enterprises
4

6. About
AMBISIG is a technological company that respects the highest market demands
We focus on high quality on our processes obtained a set of certifications:
That allowed us to be qualified as suppliers
5

7. About
Innovatio
n
6

8. Multimodel
+
A multi-model process improvement approach can bring large
benefits to an organization that produces software products and
services and wants to be innovative.
•The CMMI-DEV constellation (ML5) brings new ways for
organizations to quantitatively manage their processes and
quality performance goals, projects, and innovation.
•CMMI-SVC (ML2) works as a catalyst for a service culture.
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9. Ambisig continuous evolution History
2008
1S
DEV
SRV
2009
2S
1S
2010
2S
1S
CMMI DEV 3
2011
2S
1S
CMMI DEV 5
….
CMMI SRV 2
2012
2S
2013
1S
2S
Revaluate?
CMMI SRV 2
….
NP 4457
RD&I
Milestones
Planning and project monitoring
Change Management
8

10. To do it or not to do it?
9

11. Context
Multimodel CMMI DEV5 + SRV2 company
A company with multi-model process improvement approach, that produces
software products and services and wants to be innovative.
This presentation illustrates the decision about revaluating/renovating the
company in CMMI for services level 2:
• CMMI-SVC (ML2) worked as a catalyst for a service culture.
• Why?
10

12. What benefits we had previously with
CMMI 2 for Services?
The company started to value more the services (and service department):
• Structured services helped measuring and raising client “loyalty”
• Efficiency of services was made clear, with higher profit
Services area/department
• Their customers now recognizes in a easier way the added value of services by watching the service reports
• Services are more clear and accountable - services are not provided for free
“without realizing” – like before
• More sources of income (new billable services have arisen, example: training,
coaching)
• Service mentality – service in contrast with project has a possibility of a steady
and continuous income
• Service culture improved: company, the service department, the
relation with clients … as well as the income/profit
11

13. Part II
NEED TO RENOVATE CMMI SRV 2
- WHY?
13

14. Why to reavaluate?
(in CMMI for 2 Services)
Did organization “continue their work” after being “certified”?
Did they just drop all the practices?
Were real benefits from last time?
yes we need, yes we want?
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15. Why to reavaluate?
(in CMMI for 2 Services)
• By reavaluating, we find gaps
• Gaps and needs was to continuously collect new ideas from people in the
organization (Scampi, interviewed people, documentation), filter them and to
generate competitive innovations
Services
Innovation
idea
Ideas

?
Innovation with What?
Process
Tools
Organization
To not go behind
We have to continuously
Improve
To not loose the “certification”
Found on non-compliance,
weakness,
improvement sugestionss
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16. Why not reavaluate?
(in CMMI for 2 Services)
• It takes:
– Time (company members time)
– Money (consultant + auditor)
– Effort (Psychological & physical) 
– Internal Costs
– Team Focus
• By revaluating, we find gaps 
Gaps:
• Process
• Tools
• People implementation, training, etc.
•
Finding weakness, improvement suggestions
• Then we have to correct the weakeness,
• Consider doing improvement suggestions …
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17. Who decided to revaluate?
• Focused ambitious Sponsor – with a tide schedule
17

18. Who managed the work internally?
• Overworking project manager• “Do we really have to do it?”
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19. Who “did the work”?
• Quality team and services team
• example: internal audits were reinforced before Scampi A
• Scampi team members, had a long work week
• Everyone still needed to do “their own normal daily job”
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20. Part III
BENEFITS
20

21. Advantages for using CMMI SRV
The implementation of processes that are related to maintenance or “very small”
projects where a service philosophy applies better.
Services follow clear work instructions (and not a project management methodology).
The culture of service where the solutions that are built are intended for
customers with expectations and needs in terms of service levels.
This internal awareness provides a better focus on the usability aspects and
nonfunctional requirements.
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22. Advantages for using CMMI SRV
The importance of a systematic feedback from the services to the development
teams provide insight about the utilization and errors in place (incident, problem and
service level management, measurement and analysis).
“Customers want more attention, more appreciation and more recognition when
making their purchases with you, not less. Customer service quality is simply essential.
Now we have a more clear continuous improvement of our services.”
Vasco Ferreira – CEO Ambisig
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23. Advantages to the client
- Services are a continuous source of income (example contract for maintenance)
• a Project has a finishing date and a total cost
• services have “no end date”
To keep clients loyalty the service has to be well structured
• the more efficient the bigger profit you have
=
With Services area more structured -> revenue is higher and more
constant -> since “certification” a new service line as arise “Consulting”
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24. Parte V
CONCLUSIONS
24

25. Lessons Learned
• What went well
Team
• Sponsoring from both sides
• Team from Ambisig that was allocated to the project: motivated and
proactive
• Backups of both teams (examples: Leave of a team member for
health reasons from each organization)
SCAMPI Team
• Team motivated and proactive
• Experienced auditor
Management and project follow up
• Well identified action from both sides (Ambisig & Strongstep)
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26. Lessons Learned
Challenges:
Continuity of the system
• The system in general must not stop. Example incomplete reports
Duration of the project
• There was a strong effort to review some of the processes and
evidences taking in account SCAMPI A
Preparation for Scampi
• Review of evidences with more time in advance
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27. Keeping “services running”
Moving frontwards is the best way not to move backwards … ensure we keep the best
practices
27

28. Conclusions
• Benefits having/renovating Services :
• Keeping Services more clear and accountable
• Take chance to find More sources of income (new services arise during the
last three years)
• Customer clients recognizes easier the added value of services
• The company values more services itself, structuring then to help keeping client
“fidelity”
• The more efficient services, the higher is the profit
• Service culture can improve: company, the service department, the relation
with clients … as well as the income/profit
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29. General Conclusions
• The effort spent by both Ambisig and Strongstep is now paying off both
internally and externally – new projects, more revenue and helping
internationalization (Example: European Space Agency)
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30. Conclusions
Create new services and outsourcing department
Increase SLA and OLA indicators
Access to new clients and markets
International recognition
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31. Some of Strongstep references
from Portugal, USA, India and Angola
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32. Contact
Strongstep - Innovation in software quality
Web: www.strongstep.pt
Pedro Castro Henriques: pedroch@strongstep.pt
Mobile: + 351 91 952 44 50
Telefone: + 351 22 030 15 85
AMBISIG, SA
Web: www.ambisig.pt
Silvia Rodrigues: srodrigues@ambisig.pt
Mobile: +351919242067
Phone: +351213920950
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