| 0 Non-existent | There is a complete lack of formal
installation or accreditation processes and senior
management or IT staff does not recognize the need to
verify that solutions are fit for the intended purpose.
|
| 1 (Initial/Ad Hoc) | There is an awareness of the need to
verify and confirm that implemented solutions serve the
intended purpose. Testing is performed for some
projects, but the initiative for testing is left to the
individual project teams and the approaches taken vary.
Formal accreditation and sign-off is rare or non-existent.
|
| 2 (Repeatable but Intuitive) | There is some consistency
between the testing and accreditation approaches, but
they are not based on any methodology. The individual
development teams normally decide the testing approach
and there is usually an absence of integration testing.
There is an informal approval process, not necessarily
based on standardized criteria. Formal accreditation and
sign-off is inconsistently applied.
|
| 3 (Defined Process) | A formal methodology relating to
installation, migration, conversion and acceptance is in
place. However, management does not have the ability
to assess compliance. IT installation and accreditation
processes are integrated into the system life cycle and
automated to some extent. Training, testing and
transition to production status and accreditation are likely
to vary from the defined process, based on individual
decisions. The quality of systems entering production is
inconsistent, with new systems often generating a
significant level of post-implementation problems.
|
| 4 (Managed and Measurable) | The procedures are
formalised and developed to be well organised and
practical with defined test environments and
accreditation procedures. In practice, all major changes
to systems follow this formalised approach. Evaluation
of meeting user requirements is standardised and
measurable, producing metrics that can be effectively
reviewed and analysed by management. The quality of
systems entering production is satisfactory to
management, with reasonable levels of postimplementation
problems. Automation of the process is
ad hoc and project dependent. Neither postimplementation
evaluations nor continuous quality
reviews are consistently employed, although
management may be satisfied with the current level of
efficiency. The test system adequately reflects the live
environment. Stress testing for new systems and
regression testing for existing systems is applied for
major projects.
|
| 5 Optimized | The installation and accreditation processes
have been refined to a level of best practice, based on the
results of continuous improvement and refinement. IT
installation and accreditation processes are fully
integrated into the system life cycle and automated when
advisable, facilitating the most efficient training, testing
and transition to production status of new systems. Welldeveloped
test environments, problem registers and fault
resolution processes ensure efficient and effective
transition to the production environment. Accreditation
takes place usually with limited rework and post
implementation problems are normally limited to minor
corrections. Post-implementation reviews are also
standardised, with lessons learned channelled back into
the process to ensure continuous quality improvement.
Stress testing for new systems and regression testing for
amended systems is consistently applied.
|
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