During interviews, the assessment team is trying to put together an accurate picture of complex real-world activities. Though both the team and the people it interviews must keep in mind the categories of the CMM/CMMI model for process improvement that give structure to the assessment as a whole, it is natural for different individuals to have different ideas concerning not only what is most important to talk about during the interview but also about how the organization works. These different ideas act as filters and make interviewing a difficult and complex business.
The assessment team is responsible for establishing a rapport with the people being interviewed. Generally, the initial moments of the interview are critical. The person being interviewed needs to know why he is being interviewed, and he needs to understand the interview process. The team members must make the person being interviewed feel comfortable. They should act as though they are invited guests in a home. This is especially difficult to do, though, because most people being interviewed are nervous and unsure of what is going to happen.
After a rapport is established, the assessment team members should really listen to the person they are interviewing and should watch for non-verbal clues about his or her attitude. An angry and distracted expression may mean that the person does not agree with something that has been said or that he or she doesn’t understand a question. An effective assessment team member notes body language and follows up with appropriate questions, always with the aim of helping the person being interviewed to speak more freely.
A major factor in producing "buy-in" in the assessment results is the professionalism that the team demonstrates during the interviewing process. Interviews that start late, go off on tangents, or don’t allow each participant a chance to express his or her views will detract from the organization’s confidence in the assessment and its findings.
Some participants are bound to feel after their interview that they didn’t have enough time to say what they wanted. This feeling is natural, but it is usually unfounded. Assessments involve interviewing many people, always asking for similar information. When this information is collected and assembled, an accurate picture of the whole organization usually emerges. This should be explained to the people being interviewed to make them less anxious about what they might not have had time to say. If a person still feels strongly that he wants more time to explain something, though, arranging a "follow-up" interview might be in order.