CMII in Software Development
by Rudy Hacker
The CMII process ensures alignment of lower level specifications to higher level requirements. It is also unique in its ability to distance itself from the product it manages. It can be used just as easily on hardware or software, on products designed or products bought. It can integrate all four possibilities into one process. At the heart of CMII is the concept of physical item hierarchies.
Can Be Scoped Up Or Down
CMII is the best fit for universal management of an environment that is very diverse. It provides a sufficient level of control without strangling the organization. It can be scoped down to manage the minute details and scoped up to manage the broad brush requirements. It is especially good for the fast-paced, client-server environment of today.
Quality is driven by assuring proper ownership of each document, by limiting the signatures to actual owners, by using only documents that are released and by insisting that all documents be clear, concise and valid.
Other objectives embedded in the CMII principles include the ability to communicate effectively through documentation, records and data and assure that each step in each process, including development, is accomplished in its proper sequence. Quality is a byproduct of CMII.
About CMII
CMII is not just about software or hardware development. It is much broader. It focuses on change management as a process. It integrates with software design needs. It includes a strongprocess for communicating, for introducing changes and for administering those changes.
Study after study has shown that software development efforts are typically over budget, late to estimates, and under-featured from the original desires (if the project is actually finished). The second most common aspect of software development, after poor quality, is cancellation.
Do Not Believe . . .
Do not believe that people as a rule want to fail or that the majority of project members are uneducated or lack the energy and desire to produce good products. There must be some other factor to explain the high rate of failure and difficulty in managing the software environment.
Do Believe . . .
Releases of software with missing or extra executables do not work as well as complete and accurate ones. Databases missing indexes do not perform as well as those that have them. We all know this but few take the time to ensure it. Almost no one has a process to consistently assure it.
Do believe that it is human behavior and poor communications. Do believe that CMII correctly deals with many of these issues.
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