Suppose you want/need to improve performance across your enterprise. As you pursue organizational excellence, there are many improvement models, standards, and approaches available. Each might help with part of the business, or address selected compliance requirements, but using several separately can be expensive, confusing, and ineffective. How can an enterprise reap the benefits of the knowledge in a bewildering variety of standards and models? How can this be done efficiently and effectively?
We propose that various models and standards be integrated and harmonized into a single enterprise improvement model …known as Enterprise SPICE.
What is SPICE, and what is Enterprise SPICE? ISO/IEC 15504: Information Technology – Process Assessment (SPICE) is the international standard setting requirements for assessment methods and for models used for assessing process capability and improving performance. Models compliant with SPICE requirements provide best practice guidance and a path for continuous improvement. The SPICE User Group endorsed the initiative to establish an Enterprise Integrated Standards-Based model (Enterprise SPICE) for use with ISO/IEC 15504 (SPICE).
Some benefits from using Enterprise SPICE:- Single Unified Model: no need to use many separate standards/models- Pick and Choose: select areas relevant to the business- Authoritative and Robust: derived from widely recognized standards, with mapping to sources- Comprehensive: broad, expanding, range of disciplines – Synergized: each source contributes important perspectives- Reduced Costs: for training, improvement, assessment, simultaneous ratings/ certification vs. one model- Enhanced Effectiveness: integrated guidance across a typical large or small enterprise in any sector – Certification: certification services from accredited bodies
The Enterprise SPICE project has established its governance and project structure and over 100 expert volunteers from 29 countries are participating in various roles to implement the plan.
Enterprise SPICE is not starting from scratch, but builds on Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) integrated Capability Maturity Model (iCMM), which integrates a host of sources including ISO 9001, Baldrige, several CMMs, ISO life cycle standards, safety and security standards and more. Note that with the launching of Enterprise SPICE, FAA is no longer enhancing the iCMM, but encourages further standards integration work as an international SPICE activity.
The initial release of Enterprise SPICE will address the baseline disciplines from the iCMM (enterprise governance/management; full lifecycle engineering; acquisition; quality management; safety and security; general management; core supporting disciplines) plus: service management; human resource management; knowledge management; investment/financial management; and environment. Sources being integrated include iCMM sources noted above plus ITIL, ISO 20000, CobiT, People CMM, ITIM, ISO 14000, and other references.
