Under the patronage of H.E. Eng. Bassem Al Rousan, Minister of Information and Communications Technology, the Information Technology Association of Jordan (int@j), in collaboration with the Arab Academy for Microsoft Technologies, Optimiza Academy and with the support of The United States Agency for International Development through the Sustainable Achievement of Business Expansion and Quality Program (SABEQ) launched the “Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) awareness workshop”, which was held in the Grand Hyatt on April 14th, 2008.
The CMMI Certificate Workshop comes as part of the steps adopted to achieve one of the main initiatives of the “National ICT Strategy” that aims at increasing the ICT sector’s revenues to reach USD 3 billion by the year 2011.
During the opening, H.E. Eng. Al Rousan said: “The development of the Jordanian IT products and services is considered a significant step for Jordan’s ICT Sector, which will leave its impact at several levels, this step will pave the way to accomplish the National ICT Strategy’s initiatives, which we take into consideration in each step we accomplish, and as you all know, the strategy aims at: raising internet penetration to 50%, ICT sector’s revenues to reach USD 3 billion, and ICT sector’s employment to reach 35.000 jobs by the year 2011.”
H.E. continues: “Having that said, I encourage you all to collaborate with the ministry’s efforts and participate in the awareness aspect of the strategy; all parties are requested to provide all the efforts that support the sector and increase its revenues. I also stress on the importance of undertaking new theories which results go parallel with our initiatives, it is important not just to adopt processes but also to implement them, that is the only way in which our sector would be able to face all the challenges and obstacles.
Chairman of int@j, Mr. Marwan Juma said: “This step is one of many that we are implementing to achieve one of the most important initiatives of the National ICT Sector of increasing the sector’s revenues to reach USD 3 billion by the year 2011.”
This effort is a key step in raising the quality of the Jordanian ICT product and services, Juma reiterated the importance of having this event for the first time in Jordan and highlighted the effects that such an opportunity brings to the Jordanian sector. Capability Maturity Model® Integration (CMMI) is considered to be the most widely accepted and adopted process improvement approach worldwide, that provides organizations with the latest best practices for product and service development and maintenance.
int@j’s interim CEO, Mr. Raed Bilbessi, during the press conference held parallel to the opening, emphasized on the importance of Jordan becoming a major regional ICT leader and an internationally recognized exporter of ICT products & services, capitalizing on the certified products will open new channels of communications and markets to the Jordanian companies and can be used to guide process improvement across a project, a division, or an entire organization. CMMI helps integrate traditionally separated organizational functions, set process improvement goals and priorities, provide guidance for quality processes, and provide a point of reference for appraising current processes.
Bilbessi also described the sessions presented in the two-day workshop, he clarified that the consultants presented a general overview on the certificate, in the presence of H.E. and stakeholders earlier this morning. Another session will target the technical heads in the Jordanian companies detailing them on certificate conditions and practices. While one more session will target different business sectors and will highlight the advantages of recruiting CMMI® certified companies.
Furthermore, Bilbessi said that the Jordanian ICT companies have a unique opportunity of having one-on-one meetings with the consultants to present their companies’ visions, products and services, and to benefit from the consultants’ experience.
Mr. Mukul Madan, a QAI’s consultant revealed the background of the “CMMI certificate” and briefed the audience of QAI’s history and how this certificate was adopted from different countries due to its importance and advantages. While Mr. Ashish Sehdev, another QAI’s Consultant demonstrated CMMI’s experience in Egypt and was optimistic in the Jordanian companies that he met and the future of Jordanian sector.
The CMMI workshop will tackle various topics, including CMMI certificate’s conditions, practices, and acquisition, it will also discuss business cases of process improvement, a thing that is believed to boost the Jordanian ICT Sector and open new channels of communications and new markets in the region and on an international level as well.