Is CMM certification really supposed to be "cool"?

"What is the use of CMM?"

When the CMM was first introduced into the country, it did set off a boom, and some even regarded it as an important factor in India's software industry over China's software industry, so many people put a lot of enthusiasm and concern on CMM. Whether it is the first contact with the CMM enterprises or the CMM a little bit of understanding of the enterprises have to know what the role of the CMM?

There is no mystery to CMM, it is a standard of software development, according to this standard to do, it can help software enterprises to improve and optimize management, improve the level of software development and efficiency while improving product quality and reliability. On this point, Neusoft feels very deeply.

In 1998, Neusoft decided to start implementing CMM. According to the information disclosed later, in the process of implementation did encounter the original did not anticipate the difficulties and resistance, but the company's leadership, as always, adhere to the implementation of the CMM. In September 2000, the company successfully passed the CMM Level 2 assessment. The CMM also tasted the sweetness, the implementation and evaluation of CMM on the one hand, for Neusoft software set a good corporate image, so that they in addition to undertake the software business from Japan, but also with the European and American software projects to undertake the basic conditions; On the other hand, the theory and practice of CMM enrich and perfect the ISO 9000 quality system, So that their enterprise management level, personnel quality, software PRODUCT quality, service quality and quality assurance capabilities have been significantly improved. The power of example is endless, and the implementation of the CMM is another craze.

"Do not certify"

To be honest, China's IT industry is still not very high in the world level now, but the development speed of China's IT industry is obvious to all, and move towards the benign development direction, this thanks to some responsible media, profession personage and expert scholar, they know deeply our IT industry in the world level, What we need to do is rush chase, no time to detours, no extra money to pay tuition. Therefore, on the issue of CMM certification, there are three more influential focus on all software industry experts, scholars and discussions held. The first is the 2000 Zhongguancun Computer Festival, the second is the "Computer World" in Beijing on March 29, 2001 in the "Software industry CMM application High-level Forum" seminar, the third time this September 22, "China Computer Science and Technology Forum for Young People (Yocsef)".

These three discussions from the overall perspective, the first time is tentative, introductory, the implementation of the CMM and certification the participants are mostly in the mood of learning, understanding, there is no too extensive controversy, but are more positive about the role of CMM and the significance of the implementation of CMM, Since then CMM implementations and certifications have gone into the minds of quite a few software bosses. When the second computer World organized the CMM workshop, after a long time to explore the CMM and domestic enterprises to implement the CMM there are cases can be found, this debate from the overall seems to be very enthusiastic, the level of the meeting is also highly attracted by the industry, from the Ministry of Information, Science and technology department and other competent departments of the leadership, Experts on CMM, software companies that have been evaluated through different levels of CMM, business leaders who are preparing to implement CMM, and business leaders who provide tools, training, and advice for CMM implementations attended the seminar. Participants combined their own practical experience, around the significance of the implementation of CMM, why the implementation of CMM and how to implement the CMM and other issues have been fully discussed and given a very high affirmation, the meeting put forward a lot of insights, for the implementation of CMM in China has a strong guiding significance. If we look back on our heads in the future, it may not be too soon to turn this meeting into a turning point in the software industry. But in this meeting also out of another voice, from the overall view, if you have to generalize this sound point of view, perhaps the following sentence is more appropriate: for the CMM certification must be treated calmly, do not too much of the CMM certification investment enthusiasm, not necessarily to carry out CMM certification, Think of the CMM as a ruler and a mirror to know your own shortcomings.

At that time, some people put forward the problem of CMM certification, "since the role of the CMM is so great, whether the domestic software enterprises should be certified?" "There is an expert who gives a negative answer, the reasons are as follows: first of all, the implementation of CMM requires enterprises to provide adequate protection in personnel training, management process change and capital, etc. secondly, CMM is a methodology, any software company without several years of normative management experience accumulation, it is difficult to pass the CMM certification in a short time. In addition, the CMM emphasizes the continuous improvement of the dynamic, in accordance with the CMM specifications, the enterprise through the CMM certification every 18 months must be again certification, thus urging enterprises to continue to progress. Therefore, if just want to pass a certification to improve the image of the enterprise, it can only be wasted. At that time, the experts really came to this answer in a pragmatic manner, and then gave a way to complement the implementation of the CMM: a company interested in improving their software design process to the CMM as a mirror against themselves, as a ruler to measure their own, to find gaps and deficiencies, and then take measures to target, It is the real meaning of CMM to improve the software design ability, or to improve the maturity of software process. In the practice of implementing CMM, we should treat it separately according to the actual situation of software enterprise. For enterprises with software exports, the focus is on the gradual adoption of CMM grade assessments to improve competitiveness in the international marketplace. But for the General software Enterprise, the key point is that the CMM can be used for reference to improve the management of software enterprises and improve the level of software development.

For a long time after the meeting, this thought dominates the views of a considerable number of people, and the articles in the media hold this view. That is, enterprises to exercise the skills of CMM, enhance their strength, improve their quality, there is no need to spend energy on how to pass the assessment as soon as possible to obtain the certificate. If blindly put forward or promote the so-called "certification", will be misleading to the pursuit of "certificate", the essence of the foul to lose the CMM up. In the face of strong foreign enterprises, a large number of small and medium-sized software enterprises in China want to succeed in competition, the need is to nurture, nurture and improve quality, rather than obtain certificates. It has even been suggested that the implementation of CMM is related to the goal and management system, that is, target positioning should be accurate. Software enterprises should consider clearly: through the CMM certification to achieve a goal, if you want to improve management, improve management level, do "Chinese-style CMM"; If you want to enter the international market, it is necessary to do "American-style CMM." This point of view is not much to endorse, because the WTO is coming. But is CMM certification really just a formality? Does that really matter?

"Speak with the facts."

At the Yocsef meeting held on September 22, we revisited the issue of CMM certification. At the second meeting, the attitude towards CMM certification may not work in reality, so at the third meeting, we all have given a full affirmation of CMM certification. Tsinghua Tongfang Data technology company consultant Sun Quankang deep feeling to say "through the ISO9000CMM certification, can bring a good reputation to the enterprise." In fact, some companies when talking about cooperation, often ask you to pass the CMM certification and ISO9000 did not, otherwise we will not talk to you. Therefore, through the two certification, enterprise development will bring better prospects. In my own feelings, these two to the development of the software industry has played a great role in promoting. Software enterprises must attach great importance to the certification work, the credibility of a business is a safe place. Saoshao, general manager of the company, said, "For CMM certification, I think it is important for both export-oriented and non-export-oriented software companies, although the current certification is not expensive, but not the immediate benefits." "Beijing software Industry Promotion Center Jiang Guangzhi also have the same feeling" for CMM certification may not be the only way, but this is the way to compare. We plan, through three years of implementation, to be able to appear in Beijing twenty or thirty through CMM2, CMM3 or more enterprises, with such enterprises, in any case, is a huge boost to China's software companies. ”

The guidance of theory has certain function, but we can not blindly follow the theory and disregard the actual situation, otherwise it may go towards dogmatism. At the second meeting to emphasize implementation and not to emphasize the certification, I think it should be said to have a certain one-sidedness, of course, there are certain progressive significance. But our country will soon become a member of the WTO, at that time all the software development activities must comply with certain international assessment standards, if you do not meet this standard, it is normal to be abandoned. If the export does not export as a basis for CMM certification, there may be restricting suspicion. CMM is like the Internet TCP/IP protocol, TCP/IP is a universal standard, your products such as network cards, routers, bridges, operating systems, and so only to support TCP/IP, can be used on the Internet; software companies are also the same, only comply with the international standards of the software industry, In order to have the possibility of development and growth, otherwise may be cornered, not because of the requirements of CMM certification is too high to give up or wait to grow up again.

Remember the original lead Motorola China Research Center through the CMM certification is now a software enterprise in the main responsible for the Li Qi once interviewed by reporters with heavy intonation said such a sentence: Chinese software enterprises must be certified CMM, if we can not even do this, will not only be excluded by the international software industry value chain, and soon even China's domestic market will lose all, because CMM is the best way to improve the competitiveness of software companies.