The SEI's IDEALSM Model provides a roadmap for a process improvement program. Using this model as a guide, an organization can make regular progress toward their process improvement goals.
"I" is for "Initiate". This phase is where the process improvement effort starts. The reasons for the effort are identified, and the appropriate level of management is engaged to identify the priority of the process improvement effort relative to the other activities of the organization. Finally all necessary infrastructure is obtained or established. This usually includes a management steering group, an SEPG (Process Group) and a QA (Quality Assurance) group along with the facilities and tools needed by each.
"D" is for "Diagnosing". In this phase, the organization's current processes and practices are examined to identify the starting point for the process improvement effort. This examination can take many forms depending on the organization's state and needs. For a CMMI® effort, it may be a SCAMPISM Class A, B or C. At times, an even less formal evaluation is done. Whatever form of evaluation is done, the result is a set of recommendations for how the process improvement effort should proceed.
"E" is for "Establishing". Based on the prioritization of the process improvement effort by senior management in the Initiating phase, and the recommendations from the Diagnosing phase, the activities for the current iteration of the IDEALSM Model are planned. This includes Strategic and Tactical Action Planning as well as establishing Process Action Teams to act on those plans.
"A" is for "Acting". In this phase, the plans from the Establishing phase are acted out. This generally involves defining or improving processes and process documentation, training people to use the new processes, pilot-testing the processes, then (assuming a successful pilot), rolling them out to the entire organization. The Acting phase is where most of the process improvement effort takes place.
"L" is for "Leaveraging". In this last phase of the model, the organization consolidates the lessons they have learned from the just-finished effort, and prepares to start a new cycle and mkae more improvements.
ASK Process will guide your organization in following the IDEALSM Model in a successful process improvement effort.