For whatever reason you have decided to undertake a software process improvement program and you have arrived at this web-site. Hopefully the things contained in this site will help you progress to a more desirable place on the process maturity curve. This site contains the body of knowledge I have obtained in maturing a global organization through both ISO 9001 and the SEI capability maturity model (CMM). My lessons learned should save you a significant amount of time. I offer you various programs designed to move your organization through the maturity curve with the least amount of pain and the quickest path to higher maturity. 

As with all new endeavors it is best to begin with a plan that details where you want to be and identifies your weaknesses and strengths. Your strengths represent process areas that require little or no modification for they meet your needs. Recognizing these strengths not only saves a great deal of time but shows your staff that you approve of many of the processes that are currently institutionalized. Recognizing your weaknesses and better yet identifying areas of improvement that would yield the greatest benefits is what process cartography is all about. If you do nothing else, it is recommended that you train your staff the art of process cartography and construct the process maps that capture how your organization is currently operating. This will give you the process assessment capability required to determine where effort should be expended to reap the greatest benefits.