Artifact: Development Organization Assessment
Provides an evaluation of the current status of the organization in terms of process, tools, peoples' competencies, peoples' attitudes, customers, competitors, technical trends, problems, and improvement areas. Includes recommendations for improvement.
Domains: Software Capability Improvement
Purpose

The Development Organization Assessment is prepared as a basis to advise an organization on their opportunities for process and tools enhancement.

This artifact is used to:

  • Identify process and tools improvements required to meet the needs of a particular organization or project.
  • Explain to sponsors and other stakeholders why there is a need to change process, tools, and people.
  • Create motivation and a common understanding among the people in the organization who are directly, or indirectly, affected.
Relationships
Description
Brief Outline

This artifact typically contains the following sections:

  • Overview describing the scope of the assessment and drivers
  • List of prioritized operational objectives to which all process improvements must align
  • Stakeholders and key people
  • Description of the internal organization
  • Process assessment (strengths and weaknesses)
  • Tools assessment (strengths and weaknesses)
  • Recommendations
Illustrations
Key Considerations
Summarize the findings succinctly in an overview section. This is the "elevator pitch" to an executive if they asked you what you learned in the assessment. In this section, focus on the current state (the situation), as well as the ramifications of the current state (i.e., the risks, problems, and implications of those problems).
Tailoring
Impact of not having

Without this artifact:

  • The organization will not understand the strengths and weaknesses of its software development capabilities
  • There will be no clear linkage between capability improvement efforts and the organization's business objectives
  •  There will be no basis for prioritizing capability improvement efforts
Reasons for not needingThis artifact is always produced in some format by organizations focused on capability improvement.
Representation Options

Completeness, format and formalism of this artifact will vary depending on factors like size and type of development, business context, and degree of novelty, to mention a few.

For example, a large development organization developing systems for Air Traffic Control will likely do a very thorough assessment of the development organization to ensure that they meet certain requirements imposed on the organization by a range of external stakeholders. Tailor the Development Organization Assessment to reflect the organization and development effort.

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