Thursday, December 20, 2007

I have two Appraisal Team questions

1. Exactly what can & cannot be kept following an appraisal in the way of written notes, excel files etc that where generated by the ATMs during the appraisal?

2. Can ATM team members use laptops during the final appraisal in document review, during interviews etc.?


Take only memories, leave only footprints . . . . oh, that's the National Forest!

Any SCAMPI Appraisal generates a large amount of written documentation including interview questions, answers, practice characterizations, findings, and observations. The Appraisal Plan, and subsequent entries in the SEI's SAS system will identify the formal appraisal outputs that, at a minimum, include Final Findings, Appraisal Plan, and the Appraisal Disclosure Statement. Any notes or written documents that identify the source of the information, for example an answer to an interview question, should be destroyed in order to maintain the "non-attribution" policy that exists within the method. NA is a critical component, as a violation cast doubt on the reliability of the responses to the questions. This includes spreadsheets and files that identify which project team information was derived from. I usually recommend destroying everything that is not part of the formal appraisal record.

I also usually ask the Appraisal Team Members to not use laptops during interviews. I have found that this is odistracting to the interviewees, and often makes them more nervous than they already are. I have also seen ATM's surfing the web and playing with email when they should be listening and taking notes.

Call me old-fashioned, but a yellow pad and pen is the best tool for this job.

www.broadswordsolutions.com

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