Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Jeff's Top Ten Picks for SEPG 2012!

Hello Readers!

It's that time again.  Time for "Jeff's Top Ten Picks for SEPG 2012!"

Every year, at SEPG NA, there are dozens of great speakers.  This year in ABQ will be no different.  SEPG NA 2012 promises to be another fantastic, action packed event!

Here are my picks for the best Process Improvement and CMMI presentations at SEPG 2012.  Of course, they're all good, but this is where I'm putting my money.



Drum roll please!



1. Meet the International Improvement League: Fighting for Good Processes Everywhere with Rick Hefner


Are you tired of being terrorized by your process nemeses? Are you aiming the flashlight of process improvement in the night sky, wishing, just wishing a superhero of process would see your sign and rescue you from your process plight? Rest easy good citizens, the International Improvement League is here to fight process problems and save your day. 

Meet Measurement Man, the Contessa of Change, the Services Siren, Dr. SCAMPI and Mr. ATLAS to answer all your process improvement questions and solve all your process improvement problems. 



This sessions is co-presented by Rick Hefner, Pat O'Toole, Dave Zubrow, and Margaret Tanner Glover.


2. Organizational Change Management: The Key Differentiator for Sustainable Process Improvement with Julie Calfin


Is your organization struggling to get people to use your new processes? Did the commitment to your process improvement program wane after attaining your desired maturity level? Why do some organizations sustain their process improvements while others do not? The answers lie in the organization’s ability to get people to change their behavior. This presentation reveals the key elements of an organizational change-management strategy that will result in long-term, sustainable process improvement.


Julie is an awesome speaker and a world-class OCM consultant.


3. What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger: My Process Improvement Lessons Learned with Bill Smith


Although several basic principles of successful process improvement are well-documented in textbooks and professional journals, experience often remains—for better or worse—the best teacher. In this talk, the presenter relates a series of brief anecdotes to introduce important process improvement concepts using an engaging “top ten” countdown approach.


There is a reason Bill is known as a "CMMI Entertainer."  Don't miss his hilarious, entertaining and informative presentation


4. SCAMPI B Appraisals: Not Just Dress Rehearsals with Heather Oppenheimer


Is a SCAMPI B appraisal just a “dress rehearsal” or “scaled down” SCAMPI A? Is a SCAMPI B just one of the required preparation activities for a SCAMPI A? If you think the answer is “yes” to either of these, come and learn how several organizations have used SCAMPI B appraisals as an effective means of initiating process improvement programs that resulted in business performance improvement - not additional paperwork and overhead.


Heather is a great Lead Appraiser and an entertaining speaker.


5.  Making CMMI Work in a Customer-Focused Government Service Contract: An Experience Report with James Peachey


Hear the story of how the Process Management Team (PMT) for ADNET Systems, Inc., an award-winning mid-sized government contractor with an excellent track record, was able to help ADNET boost its contract performance still higher. The approach and methods used and results attained by the PMT led to some striking insights into process improvement, the power of teams, and organizational dynamics.


Want to hear from one of NASA's top performers?  James is not only super-smart, but he's a great speaker (and fellow musician!).


6.  Scrum + CMMI Learning Experience with Jeff Dalton (hey, wait a minute!...) and Julie Calfin


Scrum versus CMMI? NO! Scrum+CMMI
 

Scrum is gaining in popularity in the software and engineering worlds, yet many companies are not getting the results they had hoped for. Those who are using the CMMI for process improvement struggle with how to integrate these two frameworks. This tutorial teaches attendees to use the CMMI to make Scrum better. 

Using Scrum to teach Scrum, the learning experience has been successful with practitioners as it helps them to imagine how integrating these two frameworks can radically improve performance. Attendees take meaningful tools and experiences with them that they can use right away.



Scrum+CMMI?  Absolutely!


7.  Software Horizons: What's Beyond CMMI? with Mark Paulk and Mike Konrad


What are the issues on the frontier of identifying and formalizing software engineering best practices as captured in frameworks such as CMMI for Development? Why are these topics not addressed in CMMI? Should they be? Or left outside their scope? What about topics that may need a fuller discussion, whether in the model or in other assets? Specific issues include innovation, reuse (including product lines and domain engineering), Integrated Product and Process Development (IPPD), agile methods, culture, and practitioner attention management.


You won't find two guys with more history and vision in our industry than Mark Paulk and Mike Konrad!


8. Top Ten Ways to Make Process Improvement Fail with Mark Rabideau and Judah Mogilensky


The presenters have a combined 40 years of process improvement consulting experience, and they have seen many organizations attempt process improvement. Some succeed, but many fail. This presentation, with a slightly humorous tone, describes several of the key mistakes that people commonly make, often in combination, which tend to lead to implementation failure. Watch out—you may discover that some of them are things you are doing right now.


Talk about a powerhouse!  This one is not to be missed (and have you heard Judah sing?).


9.  Pilot Testing: A Practical Method for Validating New Processes with Laura Adkins


Would you like to accelerate process institutionalization in your organization? Would you like to be confident that new process assets will meet the needs of process users? If you answered "yes" to either of these questions, process validation may be for you. This presentation teaches a practical method for pilot testing new processes. Real-world examples and tips will be shared for planning and conducting process pilots.


Laura has song great "hands-on" stories about process pilots that you'll want to hear about.




and my number 10 pick is.....




10. Achieving High Maturity with CMMI-SVC: A Practical Panel led by Eileen Forrester


The CMMI for Services (CMMI-SVC) has now been in use for improvement and appraisals for more than two years and many organizations are on the path to high maturity with CMMI-SVC. Eileen Forrester, leader of the CMMI-SVC work at the SEI, will moderate three panelists who can give perspectives on CMMI-SVC and high maturity from practical experience. K Subramanian from TCS, Lynn Penn of Lockheed Martin, and Karen Smiley from ABB will describe their experience in achieving high maturity and high quality in large and small settings.


So that's it!  These are my picks, and I'm sticking to 'em!


Like this blog? Forward to your nearest engineering or software exec.

Jeff Dalton is a Certified SCAMPI Lead AppraiserCertified CMMI Instructor, author, and consultant with years of real-world experience with the CMMI in all types of organizations. Jeff has taught thousands of students in CMMI trainings and has received an aggregate satisfaction score of 4.97 out of 5 from his students.

Visit www.broadswordsolutions.com for more information about running a successful CMMI program.




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