My old blog on processes

Posted over 2 years ago on rediff blogs.

"CMM, ISO and all such process stuff Indian companies claim about are a big illusion. The way I see it is - all these 'so called' standards are thrust upon the naive Indian businessmen by the white man to continue to control the third world.

But the big picture isn't all that bad. Looks like it is pay-back time now. Big American companies pay a fortune to have the 'process' they introduced in the projects executed by Indian companies. The general assumption is process == quality. In some dumb organizations within these companies documentation == process.

So, what does it really mean to have a CMM level x or an ISO certification?
Customer satisfaction? May be.
More business? Very likely.
Real quality? Doubtful.

Quality is not something that process alone can bring in. Before this becomes a commentary on Zen and the Art of .... and before my PM comes and asks for estimates I'll stop now."

I think CMM has lived its life and is time for the next hype.