Select, monitor, and analyze supplier processes.

When there must be tight alignment between supplier and acquirer processes, the acquirer should monitor these processes to help prevent interface problems.

Selecting processes for monitoring involves considering the impact of the supplier’s processes on the project. On larger projects with significant subcontracts for development of critical components, monitoring key processes is expected. For less critical components, the selection process can determine that monitoring is not appropriate. Between these extremes, the overall risk should be considered when selecting processes to be monitored.

The acquirer should also determine the levels to which the selected supplier processes should be monitored. Monitoring, if not performed with adequate care, can at one extreme be invasive and burdensome, or at the other extreme be uninformative and ineffective. The acquirer decides on the necessary level of monitoring depending on the level of risk if the supplier’s process is not performed correctly and the impact the monitoring activity will have (i.e., the value of information obtained and its cost to both parties). Monitoring activities can range from reviewing supplier supplied process data to on-site appraisals of the supplier’s processes.

Analyzing selected processes involves taking the data obtained from monitoring the processes and analyzing them to determine whether there are serious issues.

Example Work Products

1.    List of processes selected for monitoring or rationale for non-selection

2.    Activity reports

3.    Process performance reports

4.    Process performance curves

5.    Discrepancy reports

Example Supplier Deliverables

1.    Supplier process quality assurance reports

Subpractices

1.    Identify supplier processes critical to the success of the project.

2.    Monitor selected supplier processes for compliance with requirements of the agreement.

3.    Analyze results of monitoring selected processes to detect issues as early as possible that may affect the supplier’s ability to satisfy requirements of the agreement.

Trend analysis can rely on internal and external data.