More software cos get quality rating

MUMBAI, MAY 26: Four software companies from India have achieved the highest quality assessment, Software-CMM Level 5, taking the total n...

MUMBAI, MAY 26: Four software companies from India have achieved the highest quality assessment, Software-CMM Level 5, taking the total number of the Indian firms in this elite class close to 50 per cent in the last five month. Only seven other companies worldwide have achieved this level, according to a list maintained at the website of the Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, which has developed this model.

The model is an indication of how fine-tuned the software processes of an organisation are and is ultimately aimed at improving its competitiveness. Wipro Infotech, Motorola India, International Computers India Ltd, Satyam Computers and Tata Consultancy Services have been assessed at Level 5 maturity.

8220;There are more companies in this part of the world which are going in for assessment than in the US,8221; admits Ronald A Radice, who is recognised as an expert in this area. 8220;It definitely helps the company to command a better price for its services,8221; he said. According to anindustry source the company could command 500 to 1000 more per man month based on the assessment. 8220;It may not be true for all customers. But clients would definitely be willing to pay more because their risk is lower,8221; said the source.

Level 5 of the Software-CMM, for instance, lays down guidelines on defect prevention, managing technology and process change. Level 3 deals with standardisation of processes which ensures a software project does not grind to a halt if a key person resigns.

Indian companies have also taken the lead in adopting the newest model, People-CMM, developed by the Software Engineering Institute which aims at improving employee performance and motivation. Only seven companies worldwide have achieved Level 3 and Level 2 in this model. Two Indian companies, Datamatics Limited and Tata Consultancy Services, are already working on achieving this level.

Gargi Keene, who heads the quality efforts at TCS, said it would be piloted at its US West centre in Chennai and at the SEEPZSantacruz Export Processing Zone centre in Mumbai. The US West centre has already achieved Software-CMM level 5 and the SEEPZ centre is expected to achieve it shortly. 8220;The first step is to apply the model and check where we stand,8221; said PR Krishnan, TCS-US West centre. According to Krishnan the organisation is already following most of the processes specified in the model but has so far not gone in for an assessment.

Similarly, Rahul Kanodia, joint managing director of Datamatics, said the company is already at People-CMM level 2 but has yet to complete the formal documentation of the process. The firm has been working on achieving level 3 for the last 8 months. It is also expected to achieve Software-CMM level 3 for the entire organisation by the end of this year.

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The high interest of Indian software firms can be gauged by the fact that eight of them signed up for a recent workshop on the People-CMM model conducted by Bill Curtis, who pioneered it. The key process areas specified in the modelinclude employee compensation, work environment, performance management, training and recruitment.

One of the reasons for the growing percentage of Indian software companies opting for such assessments is because they have to battle a negative image, explained Kanodia. 8220;India is perceived as a cheap, low quality labour supplier,8221; he said.

The recent Nasscom report put India8217;s share in the world software market at 18.5 per cent for 1998. This might well increase significantly as more companies opt for such audits and India8217;s brand image in the global software market gets a boost.