We all know the importance that good nutrition and regular exercise play in our health. And, we recognize that participating in professional training or joining a support group with shared goals tends to increase the chances of success. With this in mind, CSIA is introducing a “Phased” approach to support the implementation of CSIA Best Practices. Increasing adoption of Best Practices helps SI companies become better organizations, and helps raise the overall quality level of the SI industry as a whole.
First, we took a look at our Best Practices and Benchmarks Manual and grouped the chapters in a way that we think makes the most sense for phased implementation:
Phase I - Get the house in order
General management
Financial management
Project management
Phase II - Sell your services, hire and retain your resources, deliver the growth
Human resources management
Marketing, business development and sales management
Supporting activities
Phase III – Support your business for the long run
System development lifecycle
Quality assurance management
Service and support
Next, we developed support programs that will help and support Sis in their implementation of the CSIA Best Practices:
Webinars
In 2016, our monthly Business Series webinars will be lead by CSIA members who have concluded multiple rounds of CSIA Certification, sharing their knowledge and advice in a peer-to-peer format. The first two have already been scheduled.
Workshops
CSIA is committed to offering training courses that complement the Best Practices:
Focus Groups
We plan to create peer groups whose members will have the benefit of supporting one another throughout their journey toward implementing Best Practices. CSIA’s Connected Community will be the hub in which the members of these groups will interact in their own designated online community.
Look for more information on these initiatives in the coming months and at the 2016 CSIA Executive conference. Through this phased approach, we look forward to helping many more SIs implement the CSIA Best Practices and Benchmarks manual, the industry standard for successful management of a control system integration business.