The last portion of the distribution consists of skeptics who resist very strongly. In the middle is a collection of people who are neither angry nor particularly interested. Once many people have tried the practice and like it, it is easier to move toward widespread adoption. Always target early adopters, then move on to the bigger challenges, taking some easy wins and building momentum. In summary Plan for the adoption of practices by selecting the right people to work with first and expect everyone to move through the successive steps of change at their pace.
Most organizations mandate things too quickly.
If you wait until most people have completed the adoption phase, it is much easier to implement group-wide mandates and policies. In this article I will discuss using the CMM effectively, creating process documentation, and knowing when the next SEI level has been reached. Organizations that focus too closely on the CMM as an examination tool can miss the intent and value of the model. When organizations start process improvement, they frequently begin by writing and implementing the processes described by the CMM, for example, processes for schedule estimation and product change control. This approach is not necessarily harmful as the concepts in the CMM are based on sound engineering principles.