SMEs take the certification route for growth

Many small and medium software services (SME) firms are more eager than before to join the big league. For those aiming high an essential perquisite is an international certification-- CMM,CMMI and ISO being the most popular among them.

"We have been assessed at CMM Leve1 3 and ISO 9001 but we are aiming for CMMI as Software Engineering Institute
(SEI) is sunsetting the CMM certification from 2003," says KR Sreekumar, VP, Ushus Technologies. For Ushus, complying with CMMI norms would be easier as it has already gone through some of its processes while securing ISO 9001.

US Software that had claimed to be the first domestic firm to achieve CMM level 5 in the shortest time is now migrating to
CMMI. A core group of its professionals are working over time in order to put the right processes that will ultimately earn them the top certification. The fact that less than 47 firms in the world have only achieved CMMI certification so far adds value to its quality management efforts.

There are others who are not interested in seeking a CMMI certification either because of cost and market considerations. "We have ISO 9001 which is good enough for providing confidence to our European clients and we don't have much business from the US," says Sunil Gupta, MD, IVL India, while explaining the reason for not seeking a CMMI certification. But nevertheless, IVL has internally assessed its processes based on CMMI standards, according to Sunil.

For others who are yet on the verge of take off, CMMI certification is a costly affair. Costs involved in an ISO 9001 assessment and certification is less than Rs three lakh while a CMMI would cost anything from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 30 lakh. "At our level, we would be content with an ISO 9001 and we are aiming for it. At our stage of growth aiming for CMMI level now does not make sense considering the cost involved," says Captain Saxena, COO, Dimensions Cybertech Group.

The mood at another small IT firm in Technopark, Inapp Information Technologies is upbeat as it has recently been awarded CMMI Level 3 by SQCL and is now aiming for the big league. SEI-authorized lead assessor Krishnan Puthucode says that Inapp become the second Kerala-based company to achieve a CMMI rating, and in its category of growing SMEs, it's the first in Kerala to adopt the new and improved CMMI model. 

Polaris was the first firm in the world to get a CMMI level certification and interestingly it is Indian companies that are rushing in to certification. "Indian firms are more into software services rather than products and hence the rush to get CMMI certification," says Sreekumar. CMMI also has the added advantage that it incorporates systems engineering and product development.

With the IT sector bouncing back after a lull, companies are faced with higher attrition level. Here again CMMI, ISO certified companies are better able to adjust to employee exodus as its entire procedures and systems are documented as per international norms. This also gives confidence to clients abroad.

Many Kerala-based IT firms are busy forming internal groups for pre-assessment for CMMI or ISO 9001 certification. It would take from three to six months from pre-assessment to be awarded the certification. Project managers, team leaders, HR and application developers have to be trained. And most of them are sure the employee time spent and the cost of acquiring a certification will be more than compensated in increased client confidence and business in the long run.

R SREEKUMAR

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

(CyberMedia News)