Summary

Establish and maintain process performance models for the organization’s set of standard processes.

Description

High maturity organizations generally establish and maintain a set of process performance models at various levels of detail that cover a range of activities that are common across the organization and address the organization’s quality and process performance objectives. (See the definition of “process performance model” in the glossary.) Under some circumstances, projects may need to create their own process performance models.

Process performance models are used to estimate or predict the value of a process performance measure from the values of other process, product, and service measurements. These process performance models typically use process and product measurements collected throughout the life of the project to estimate progress toward achieving quality and process performance objectives that cannot be measured until later in the project’s life.

Process performance models are used to estimate or predict when to fund, hold, cancel, migrate, re-engineer, or retire a project. Process performance models allow the acquirer to synchronize processes with customer needs. The organization’s process performance baselines provide quantitative data on those aspects of the projects and organization that can approximate the throughput potential of its processes. Focusing on these critical constraints, process performance models allow the acquirer to predict how to best maximize the flow of work through projects and the organization.

Process performance models are used as follows:

  • The organization uses them for estimating, analyzing, and predicting the process performance associated with processes in and changes to the organization’s set of standard processes.
  • The organization uses them to assess the (potential) return on investment for process improvement activities.
  • Projects use them for estimating, analyzing, and predicting the process performance of their defined processes.
  • Projects use them for selecting processes or subprocesses for use.
  • Projects use them for estimating progress toward achieving the project’s quality and process performance objectives.


Process performance models are also used to set quality and process performance objectives for suppliers and to provide data that can help suppliers achieve these objectives.

These measures and models are defined to provide insight into and to provide the ability to predict critical process and product characteristics that are relevant to the organization’s quality and process performance objectives.

Results of the acquirer’s process performance models are shared with suppliers to help ensure the synchronized delivery of products and services.

 

Examples of process performance models include the following:
  • System dynamics models
  • Regression models
  • Complexity models
  • Supply chain models
  • Discrete event simulation models
  • Monte Carlo simulation models


Refer to the Quantitative Project Management (QPM) (CMMI-ACQ) process area for more information about quantitatively managing the project to achieve the project’s established quality and process performance objectives.


Example Work Products



  1. Process performance models


Example Supplier Deliverables



  1. Supplier process performance models


Subpractices



1. Establish process performance models based on the organization’s set of standard processes and process performance baselines.

2. Calibrate process performance models based on the past results and current needs.

3. Review process performance models and get agreement with relevant stakeholders.

4. Support the projects’ use of process performance models.

5. Revise process performance models as necessary.

 

Examples of when process performance models may need to be revised include the following:
  • When supplier processes that directly interface with acquirer processes change
  • When suppliers change
  • When processes change
  • When the organization’s results change
  • When the organization’s quality and process performance objectives change