Dear Desai,

With PCMM, the bar of compliance keeps moving up. There are no absolutes. No organisation can be billed as 100 percent there. The model, however, does have a few pitfalls. Abundantly aspirational, unlike CMM, PCMM is not based on a huge body of research. Indeed, it falls a little short on credibility. Some sections, those dealing with staffing strategies, for instance, talk about employees’ IQs and EQs, both still regarded as grey concepts not subject to quantifiable measurement.

Another drawback (it was the same with CMM also) is that the model is only prescriptive in nature. It proposes and the company disposes. At best, consultants can aid in building the right mood, a conducive environment for good HR practices, but the ultimate techniques of implementation are the CEO’s choice. Which means that even on the same level, two PCMM-certified companies could be as different as chalk from cheese.
Yet, the model is being considered as appropriate for any Rs 50 crore plus company with an employee strength of 75 or more. Also, it has not met with the kind of techie resistance that CMM did (though eventually, even CMM got adopted by 95% Indian
software companies) solely because of its employee-centric policies. Afterall, PCMM, unlike CMM is bottom-up, not top-down.

Implementing PCMM, however, is not that easy. Software companies charges Rs 15-20 lakh (per cycle of assessment) depending upon the organisation’s needs and present level of compliance. It’s also time-consuming, involving many checks and balances.

Regards,
Vaibhavi
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"Jack Welch of GE once said. A company's value lies "between the ears of its employees"