Can CMMI apply to a Document Production company?

Hi Jeff,

My name is Renuka from Bangalore India, working as a Quality Executive. I have been in the domain for more than 2+ years and have actively participated in CMMI L3 implementation mainly for the Process area SAM.

Current I'm with a company whose main business is Technical communication for Major development companies in bangalore. We have a tailored QMS in place for the document development lifecyle model. Is it possible that a Document development company could be appraised for CMMI? The QA team here also is an internal development team, which supports for software development eg: online applications internally (who would like be be a revenue generating team instead of only support function).

We have tailored the SDLC to DDLC & use the QMS for the process compliance.

Interesting application of the model! Does your company produce a product? Does it take requirements in, manage them, have a plan, measure performance, design and build, and verify? If so, then I see no reason why you couldn't successfully use the CMMI to benchmark your performance.

Two hints I would give you though. First, spend some time with your selected Lead Appraiser to make sure he/she REALLY understands your business. If you select one with only a systems background he/she MAY not be able to logically make the transition to apply the model to your business. Secondly, take a look at the Continuous Representation of the model. You may discover that it is more appropriate for your situation. Just a thought!

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