Improvement of real performance: drawing conclusions from Mark Paulk's expertise
November 19, 2004Not long ago Dmitry Bagrov, Head of Project Management at DataArt, enjoyed the "Business Value from Improving Software Processes and CMM/CMMi for Executives" session. This session was a part of the
"Seminars by Mark Paulk, Co-Founder of CMM" event that was organized by the RUSSEE company and took place in Moscow.
Mark Paulk is known for being one of the fathers of the Capability Maturity Model because he was the project leader during the development of the Capability Maturity
Model for Software (CMM® or SW-CMM). His name is on par with names like Watts Humphrey (who founded the Software Process Program of the Software Engineering
Institute (SEI) at Carnegie Mellon University) and Phil Crosby (author of the famous approach to Total Quality
Management (TQM) based on the four absolutes of Quality Management). Now Mark Paulk is a Senior Systems Scientist at the Institute for Software Research
International (ISRI) in the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. He is a Senior Member of the Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEEM) and of the American Society for Quality (ASQ).
The "Business Value from Improving Software Processes
and CMM/CMMi for Executives" session contained three seminars:
Value Added by Process Improvement
Choosing an Improvement Framework
Sponsoring Effective Process Management
Dmitry Bagrov commented, "I really appreciated the wide range of examples provided in each seminar.
From my point of view, an abstract theory by itself does not lead to the success of an organization. Success comes from how this abstract theory is applied to the
real-life needs of a particular organization. Improvement of the real performance is the key, and it should be balanced with the marketing desire for certification.
The examples given at the seminars prove that NMM principles should be interpreted and absorbed by an organization naturally. In this way the principles become an
important and efficient tool and not just a marketing slogan."
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