Blending CMM and six sigma to meet business goals

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) blended Six Sigma concepts with the various SW CMM key process areas, thereby creating a quality management system. This helped TCS improve its customer focus and sustain process improvement initiatives by explicitly linking them to business goals. The TCS team implemented the QMS on the lines of Level 2 and 3 requirements of SW CMM, using Six Sigma concepts to reinforce quantitative process and product measurements and analysis, process improvements for defect prevention, and process optimization. This article describes TCS's approach, highlighting the benefits gained by blending Six Sigma and CMM to provide quality deliverables to its customers.