Process performance is a measure of the actual results achieved by following a process. Process performance is characterized by both process measures (e.g., effort, cycle time, and defect removal effectiveness) and product measures (e.g., reliability and defect density).

The common measures for the organization are composed of process and product measures that can be used to summarize the actual performance of processes in individual projects in the organization. The organizational data for these measures are analyzed to establish a distribution and range of results, which characterize the expected performance of the process when used on any individual project in the organization.

In this process area, the phrase “quality and process-performance objectives” covers objectives and requirements for product quality, service quality, and process performance. As indicated above, the term “process performance” includes product quality; however, to emphasize the importance of product quality, the phrase “quality and process performance objectives” is used rather than just “process-performance objectives.”

The expected process performance can be used in establishing the project’s quality and process-performance objectives and can be used as a baseline against which actual project performance can be compared. This information is used to quantitatively manage the project. Each quantitatively managed project, in turn, provides actual performance results that become a part of the baseline data for the organizational process assets.

The associated process performance models are used to represent past and current process performance and to predict future results of the process. For example, the latent defects in the delivered product can be predicted using measurements of defects identified during the product verification activities.

When the organization has measures, data, and analytic techniques for critical process and product characteristics, it is able to do:

• Determine whether processes are behaving consistently or have stable trends (i.e., are predictable)
• Identify processes where the performance is within natural bounds that are consistent across process implementation teams
• Establish criteria for identifying whether a process or process element should be statistically managed, and determine pertinent measures and analytic techniques to be used in such management
• Identify processes that show unusual (e.g., sporadic or unpredictable) behavior
• Identify any aspects of the processes that can be improved in the organization's set of standard processes
• Identify the implementation of a process which performs best

Generic Goals

1. GG1: Perform Base Practices

   Perform the base practices of the organizational process performance process to develop work products and provide services to achieve the specific goals of the process area.

2. GG 2-5: Institutionalize Organizational Process Performance at a Maturity Level

   The process is institutionalized at a defined maturity level (2 through 5)

The process is institutionalized as a process at the designated Maturity Level.

Basic (Managed) Goals

Advanced Goals

Establish and maintain an organizational policy for planning and performing the organizational process performance process. This policy establishes organizational expectations for establishing and maintaining process performance baselines for the organization's set of standard processes. Establish and maintain the plan for performing the organizational process performance process. This plan for performing the organizational process performance process may be included in or referenced by the process-improvement plan, which is described in the Organizational Process Focus process area, or it may be documented in a separate plan that describes only the plan for the organizational process performance process. Provide adequate resources for performing the organizational process performance process, developing the work products, and providing the services of the process. Special expertise in statistics and statistical process control may be needed to establish the process performance baselines for the organization's set of standard processes. Assign responsibility and authority for performing the process, developing the work products, and providing the services of the organizational process performance process. Train the people performing or supporting the organizational process performance process as needed. Place designated work products of the organizational process performance process under appropriate levels of configuration management. Examples of work products placed under configuration management include the following: quality and process-performance objectives Definition for the selected measures of process performance Baseline data on the organization's process performance Identify and involve the relevant stakeholders of the organizational process performance process as planned. Examples of activities for stakeholder involvement include: Establishing the quality and process-performance objectives and their priorities Reviewing and resolving issues on the process performance baselines and models Monitor and control the organizational process performance process against the plan for performing the process and take appropriate corrective action. Objectively evaluate adherence of the organizational process performance process against its process description, standards, and procedures, and address noncompliance. Review the activities, status, and results of the organizational process performance process with higher level management and resolve issues.

Defined Establish and maintain the description of a defined organizational process performance process. Collect work products, measures, measurement results, and improvement information derived from planning and performing the organizational process performance process to support the future use and improvement of the processes and process assets. Quantitatively Managed Process Establish and maintain quantitative objectives for the organizational process performance process that address quality and process performance based on customer needs and business objectives. Stabilize the performance of one or more sub-processes to determine the ability of the organizational process performance process to achieve the established quantitative quality and process-performance objectives. Optimizing Ensure continuous improvement of the organizational process performance process in fulfilling the relevant business objectives of the organization. Identify and correct the root causes of defects and other problems in the organizational process performance process.

Specific Goals

QPM: Quantitative Project Management

To effectively address the specific practices in this process area, the organization should have already established a set of standard processes and related organizational process assets, such as the measurement repository and the process asset library, for use by each project in establishing its defined process. The project’s defined process is a set of sub-processes that form an integrated and coherent life cycle for the project. It is established, in part, through selecting and tailoring processes from the set of standard processes.

Process performance is a measure of the actual process results achieved. Process performance is characterized by both process measures (e.g., effort, cycle time, and defect removal efficiency) and product measures (e.g., reliability, defect density, and response time).

The quality and process-performance objectives, measures, and baselines are developed as described in the Organizational Process Performance process area. Subsequently, the results of performing the processes associated with the Quantitative Project Management process area (e.g., measurement definitions and measurement data) become part of the organizational process assets referred to in the Organizational Process Performance process area.

Sub-processes are defined components of a larger defined process. For example, a typical organization's development process may be defined in terms of sub-processes such as requirements development, design, build, test, and peer review. The sub-processes themselves may be further decomposed as necessary into other sub-processes and process elements.

This process area applies to managing a project, but the concepts found here also apply to managing other groups and functions. Applying these concepts to managing other groups and functions may not necessarily contribute to achieving the business objectives, but may help these groups and functions control their own processes.

An essential element of quantitative management is having confidence in estimates (i.e., being able to predict the extent to which the project can fulfill its quality and process-performance objectives). The sub-processes that will be statistically managed are chosen based on identified needs for predictable performance. A second key element of quantitative management is understanding the nature and extent of the variation experienced in process performance, and recognizing when the project’s actual performance may not be adequate to achieve the project’s quality and process performance objectives.

Statistical management involves statistical thinking and the correct use of a variety of statistical techniques, such as run charts, control charts, confidence intervals, prediction intervals, and tests of hypotheses. Quantitative management uses data from statistical management to help the project predict whether it will be able to achieve its quality and process-performance objectives and identify what corrective action should be taken.

Specific Goals

Institutionalizing the Processes