Thursday, June 23, 2011

Who gets the CMMI rating - The company or the project?

Dear Appraiser,

This may be a simplistic question, but still one that I would like to clarify. Is the CMMI Level achieved based upon “the company” achieving that rating or the contract or project that company manages that achieves this CMMI rating? I was always under the impression that the company receives this rating or is awarded the Level of rating. 



There is no simplistic questions when it comes to CMMI!  Some people call this necessary, some call it job security!

When we begin working with a client (usually 6-12 months prior to their target appraisal date) we negotiate an "Organizational Unit" to be appraised.  This MAY be the entire company (typical with smaller companies) but it also could be a division, a business sector, a particular product line, or a location (among other things).  

The key here is that the Lead Appraiser (who is external) and the sponsor (executive) agree that it is a credible sample.  The Lead Appraiser is likely to be careful about what he agrees to because the organizational unit is scrutinized by the SEI for credibility.

The caveat on this is that the public data (certificates, listings on the SEI website, etc) will reflect that organizational unit.  So you might achieve a level of CMMI and have it displayed this way:

XYZ Company, Richmond location
National Space Company XYZ Goddard Flight
Boing Corporation
Boing Unmanned Vehicles Division
 . . .. and so on.

Sometimes it makes sense to de-scope the unit, sometimes it doesn't.  Consult your friendly Lead Appraiser

Thursday, June 16, 2011

What social media sites have CMMI information?

Dear Appraiser,


We love your blog but where else can we get information from you?  Not everyone can get access to www.asktheCMMIAppraiser.com from inside our firewall.

Oh boy!  I love that kind of question.  We are ALL OVER the social media.  And on every media outlet we provide a wealth of FREE CMMI and process improvement information - so take your pick!

You can "like" us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/BroadswordSolutions?ref=ts

You can "link" with us on LinkedIn on our client user group at: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=3812957

You can also "link" with us on LinkedIn at our Broadsword site at: http://www.linkedin.com/company/broadsword-solutions-corporation

You can trade "tweets" with us on Twitter by following "CMMIAppraiser"

And of course you can read my blog at www.asktheCMMIAppraiser.com

Check out the Broadsword site for more information about CMMI training, webinars, and appraisals.

www.broadswordsolutions.com

Where can I learn what REALLY happens during a CMMI SCAMPI Appraisal?

Hey Appraiser,
I've heard a lot of stories of crazy stuff happening on appraisals.  What really happens?

Well, I would write an entire post on this subject, but it would better if you just came to our next FREE webinar in July!
The Secrets of SCAMPI Appraisals
This hour-long webinar takes you inside a SCAMPI Appraisal where you will learn things that previously were only known to Lead Appraisers and Appraisal Team Members.
With SCAMPI v1.3 there are new sampling rules along with new rules of evidence.  If you are considering an appraisal you owe it to yourself to attend this webinar and learn how the Lead Appraiser and Appraisal Team Members will be evaluating your organization.

Topics covered include:
  • Overview of SCAMPI
  • New Sampling Rules
  • Classes of Appraisals
  • Selecting an Organizational Unit
  • Training and Experience Requirements to be a Team Member
  • Rules of Evidence
  • Conducting the Preliminary and Final Findings Review
... and more!

Our guest speaker is is Jeff Dalton, a Certified SCAMPI Lead AppraiserCertified CMMI Instructor, Candidate SCAMPI Appraiser Observer, author, and consultant with years of real-world experience with the CMMI in all types of organizations.  Jeff has taught the formal "Introduction to CMMI" three-day class to well over 1000 students and has conducted dozens of appraisals.

When:       Friday July 8th, 2011 /  2:00PM - 3:00 PM 
Where:      Online
                 
Size:        Maximum of 100 (register early!)
For more information about us please visit: http://www.broadswordsolutions.com

CMMI, SCAMPI, and SEI are registered service marks of Carnegie Mellon University

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

I hear that we don't have to provide Indirect evidence for appraisals anymore. Is this true?

Dear Appraiser,


I just heard that with the new version of SCAMPI v1.3 that we no longer have to provide "indirect evidence" for appraisals.  Whew!  This is going to make achieving a Level so much easier!  Only the direct evidence in required now, right?

Whooo hoooo!  No more Indirects!  How cool is that?

It is true that the new version of SCAMPI (v1.3) eliminates the concept of "Indirect evidence."  But it ALSO eliminates the concept of "Direct evidence!"  Boy, this is going to make achieving a maturity level really easy!

NOT SO FAST BUCKO!

The elimination of the words "Direct" and "Indirect" do not mean we can eliminate the concepts of artifacts and affirmations being used to demonstrate process performance.

The new rules tell us that the appraisal team must review "appropriate artifacts" as evidence to determine (in concert with affirmations) the level of process performance for each project.  And we all know that just providing the formally-known-as-Direct evidence just doesn't cut it!

For instance, if your project provides an "estimating worksheet" as evidence that an estimate was performed, it doesn't tell the appraisal team HOW the estimate was performed, it only tells us THAT it was performed.  Since the CMMI is all about behavior, and not about documents, we might need that formally-known-as-Indirect evidence to tell the story.

Instead of asking you to go through a tedious inventory of documents ("is this a direct or an indirect?") we now leave it up to the appraisal team (and SCAMPI Lead Appraiser) to determine if what is being presented tells the full story.

So, bottom line, not much has changed.  The inventory exercise is streamlined, but the requirement to produce artifacts that meet the basic definition of "Indirect" and "Direct" still exists.

Sorry Level-Seekers.  And you know who you are.....

www.broadswordsolutions.com

Friday, June 10, 2011

Don't miss my free June Webinar: CMMI - All you need to know!

Register now! All you need to know to get started with CMMI
                                                                   
CMMI Version 1.3 is here!  
This two hour webinar provides with everything you need to know to get started with with the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI).  It will provide systems engineers, software developers, project managers, and process professionals with a basic understanding of how to use the CMMI, a model that is the defacto standard and leading framework for software process improvement.
Our guest speaker is is Jeff Dalton, a Certified SCAMPI Lead AppraiserCertified CMMI Instructor, Candidate SCAMPI Appraiser Observer, author, and consultant with years of real-world experience with the CMMI in all types of organizations.  Jeff has taught the formal "Introduction to CMMI" three-day class to well over 1000 students and has conducted dozens of appraisals.

When:       Friday June 10, 2011 /  2:00PM - 4:00 PM 
Where:      Online
                 
Size:        Maximum of 100 (register early!)
For more information about us please visit: http://www.broadswordsolutions.com