A Framework for Assessing and Improving Process Maturity Exposure Draft doc

May 2000 Version 1 GAO/AIMD-10.1.23 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT A Framework for Assessing and Improving Process Maturity Exposure Draft Accounting and Information Management Division United States General Accounting Office GAO [...]... maturity, and offers recommendations for improvement As such, ITIM can be a valuable tool that (1) supports organizational self-assessment and improvement and (2) provides a standard against which an external evaluation of an organization can be conducted ITIM as a Tool for Organizational Improvement ITIM offers organizations a roadmap for improving their IT investment management processes in a systematic and. .. critical processes are frequently initiated while the organization as a whole is at a lower stage of maturity However, organizational maturity is determined by assessing at what maturity stage the organization implements all key practices for all of the critical processes associated with a given stage of maturity and any lower maturity stages For example, performing key practices in just several Stage... upper stage processes As additional critical processes are introduced into the organization and implemented, the organization attains greater process capabilities and maturity The maturity progression also means that as the organization incorporates additional processes at each successive stage of maturity, previously implemented lower stage critical processes must be maintained • ITIM is not a substitute... introduction, adoption and development, and finally full implementation within an organization as the organization changes and modifies necessary functions and operations and reaches a particular maturity stage (see figure 3.2) Figure 3.2: Critical Processes Are Typically Introduced at a Lower Stage Before Reaching Full Implementation Maturity Stages IT-Driven Strategic Business Change Stage 5 Stage 4 Stage... will be coordinated with other organizational plans and processes This process guide will be a key document that the organization will use to initiate and manage its IT investment processes For example, this guide forms the foundation for each IT board’s operating policies and procedures and can also serve as the foundation for many of the policies that are required in many other critical processes within... other assessment tools, has its limitations and boundaries For example, while strategic planning and decisions can greatly influence the performance of an organization, ITIM does not evaluate strategic plans and decisions made by the organization’s executives Rather the purpose of ITIM is to describe and improve the IT investment management processes so that the strategic plans and decisions that are made... business value and mission performance improvements of IT investments The implementation of ITIM as a tool for organizational improvement can be achieved in a variety of ways For example, an organization can create a separate improvement program, employ external assistance and support, or use it as a managerial support tool Regardless of the implementation technique, the following important factors should... Introduction agency is implementing a complete IT investment management process Our evaluations of the investment management processes in the private sector and at several federal agencies indicate that IT investment management implementation is a step-by-step process that occurs over time and depends heavily on organizational commitment, leadership, persistence, and management priority A Maturity Framework. .. disciplines, such as IT asset acquisition, human capital, and systems engineering; • maturity models have been proven to be a highly effective evaluative technique for the Software Engineering Institute, which is highly regarded for its collection of Capability Maturity Models SM (e.g., Capability Maturity Model for Software6); • a maturity framework can serve as a valuable tool for organizations to improve... technical development and management processes; and • other researchers have also proposed similar IT management maturity model approaches.7 For further information on the development of ITIM, please refer to appendix I SM Capability Maturity Model is a service mark of Carnegie Mellon University 6 M Paulk et al., Capability Maturity Model for Software (Version 1.1), SEI-93-TR-024 7 Giga Information . May 2000 Version 1 GAO/AIMD-10.1.23 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT A Framework for Assessing and Improving Process Maturity Exposure Draft Accounting. Software 6 ); • a maturity framework can serve as a valuable tool for organizations to improve their technical development and management processes; and • other researchers