The Johannesburg Centre for Software Engineering (JCSE) at Wits University is another step closer to offering introductory courses to the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI), says the centre`s CEO, Rex van Olst.
JCSE academic director Barry Dwolatzky and Estelle Trengove, a lecturer in information engineering at Wits, recently completed a CMMI course in London.
Dwolatzky and Trengove are scheduled to complete an instructor course in September to enable them to begin presenting the Introduction to CMMI course in SA for the first time.
This course is accredited by the Carnegie Mellon University`s Software Engineering Institute (SEI), which developed CMMI to help companies from various industry sectors to improve their software development processes.
As the only SEI partner in Africa, besides Egypt`s Software Engineering Competency Centre, the JCSE is committed to driving CMMI locally.
"We believe CMMI could play a critical role in providing a measurable standard for international companies looking to outsource their software development needs to companies in SA," says Van Olst.
According to International Data Corporation, the global offshore IT services market is expected to grow to $29.4 billion by 2010.
Once Dwolatzky and Trengove achieve instructor status, the JCSE will begin a pilot programme to bring CMMI certification to SA using local trainers, consultants and appraisers.
"Our aim is to drop the cost of CMMI as low as possible so that all South African companies can benefit from improved processes," says Van Olst.
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