ISO 9000 And SEI-CMM Processes And Standards For Outsourcing
By Shaun Parker
Companies seeking international outsourcing are increasingly expecting providers who can offer high quality services and work products, as defined by formal compliance with international standards such as ISO 9000 and SEI-CMM. Providers who offer high quality work but do not adhere to recognized ISO or SEI-CMM standards will surely lose out to those who do.
In fact, a growing number of companies who will use outsourcing already use ISO standards, which define the rules for selecting outsourcing providers. In this case, these companies MUST select outsourcing companies that use the same or similar standards. For example, Clause 7.4, "Purchasing," of the ISO handbook, "ISO 9001 for Small Businesses," deals in detail with the complex area of contracting out processes, products or services which is commonly referred to as “ outsourcing ” or “ subcontracting ”. It covers who is responsible, the relationship between outsourcing, the organization and customers, how to ensure that you get what is expected, plus how to select companies with the necessary capability to meet requirements.
About the Standards :
ISO 9000
- The International Organization for Standards (ISO 9000 series).
- International set of documents on quality assurance. Written by members of a worldwide delegation.
- 3 core quality systems documents.
- Models of quality assurance.
SEI-CMM Model
- SEI (Software Engineering Institute) established in 1984.
- The CMM (Capability Maturity Model) of SEI is a framework that describes the key elements of an effective software outsourcing process.
- CMM - composed of 5 maturity levels.
- Each level facilitates a layer in the foundation for continuous process improvement.
- Achieving each level of the model institutionalizes a different component in the software process, resulting in an overall increase in the process capability of the organization.
For outsourcing providers, it is therefore critically necessary that you understand ISO 9000 and SEI-CMM processes and standards not only for your own purposes, but also so that you can better understand the requirements of the companies who will be your clients. Having certification in these standards will greatly improve your business profile and increase your potential for doing business in an increasingly quality-conscious world.
About the Author: For further information on software outsourcing, offshore outsourcing and offshore software development, please visit http://www.a1technology.com
Source: www.isnare.com
