3 Reasons the CMMI Works in the Health Care Industry

Dear CMMI Appraiser, can CMMI work in the health care industry, or is it only for IT? ~ Larry P.

Larry, the CMMI is a process improvement model that can be adapted to any industry. So yes, it can and does work in the health care industry. Currently the CMMI has broad adoption by organizations that are partnered with the government through Medicare or Medicaid, or with organizations that deal with Blue Cross Blue Shield, because these are two entities that are starting to look to CMMI as a framework for improving service and product delivery.

As in any industry, health care business leaders are responding to many factors that impact their bottom line. Here are three reasons people in the health care industry are adopting the CMMI:

 

Reason #3: Marketing

Large health insurance providers are often interested in adopting the CMMI strictly for marketing reasons. Some believe that having the so-called “CMMI certification” or achieving CMMI Level 2 or CMMI Level 3 will allow them to level the playing field against their competitors.  It's a strategy, of sorts.

In my opinion, that approach alone will NOT level the playing field. I’ll explain why, below.

Reason #2: Customer Mandates

The CMMI Appraiser often hears from companies who call us and say, “Hey, we need to look at CMMI certification because we’d like to bid on certain government contracts that are requiring CMMI.”

I always respond by asking, “Is that really why you are doing this? I understand that you want to win that business. But the CMMI is so much more valuable and useful than that. Let’s talk about things like how well you are running your process, how well you are delivering, how happy your customers are.”

These are the kinds of questions they should be asking, and learning should be their goal – not achieving a level. The sooner they grasp this concept, the sooner they start to think like a great company. Which leads me to …

Reason #1: To Be a Great Company

I find that more and more organizations understand the value of process improvement and increasing performance. They think about the CMMI as one of the tools that can help them learn how to behave like a great company. And while they know it won’t be easy to do the work necessary to learn the behaviors and transform their culture, they willingly take on the challenge, knowing that the journey can be its own reward.

I tell them, “You worry about being a great company. I’ll worry about helping guide you toward this CMMI goal.

This approach works across the industries. If you focus setting the right goals and objectives, and asking the right questions, you are going to be a great company. I promise.

Now, to return to my comment above about marketing, let’s consider the case of two organizations that are competing for a contract: a Virginia health care organization and a New York health care organization.

The Virginia health care organization does the hard work of focusing on the transformation of the culture of their company, using the CMMI as one of the tools that can help them. Their goal is to improve and change the way their entire organization behaves, so that they deliver a work product of greater value to the customer.

The New York health care organization invests significant time, money and effort to go through a SCAMPI-A appraisal, only to “check the box.” Having done so, they ignore the guidance of the CMMI, and go right back their old culture … complete with late, over-budget projects, heavy process debt, etc.

All other things being equal, which organization would you hire?

I appreciate your taking the time to send in your question, Larry. With a little context and creativity, the CMMI is a powerful solution for any industry that plans, designs, and delivers any type of product or service.

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

Jeff Dalton is a Certified SCAMPI Lead Appraiser, Certified 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.

Register for "Introduction to CMMI-DEV," February 11-13 2013 in Fairfax, VA.

Visit www.broadswordsolutions.com for more information about engineering strategy, performance innovation , software process improvement and running a successful CMMI program.

To download eBooks about CMMI, visit Jeff’s Author Page on Amazon.

Coming Soon … “CMMI – Everything You Need to Know!” Webinar. FREE!

Get your popcorn ready! A new Webinar is coming soon to a computer screen near you. It’s your chance to learn EVERYTHING you need to know about CMMI . . . and it's FREEEEEEE!

Join us for “CMMI - Everything You Need to Know” on Wednesday, March 13, 2013 at 1PM EDT, a free Webinar hosted by Broadsword Solutions Corporation.

How can you tell this Webinar is right for you?

If you are an executive, engineer and/or business professional, and are trying to create an environment in which the organization can manage its uniqueness in a structured way, this Webinar is designed specifically for you.

Here is a sneak preview of some of the useful information you will learn:

• How integrating the architectural strengths of the CMMI with your current methodology can bring about the transformation of the culture of your company
• How using the CMMI can help you develop a useful set of processes for your company, and deploy them without bringing the company down
• How adopting the CMMI can help you build better products, win new business and retain the customers you have
• A complete overview of the Appraisal process, for those of you hoping to have an appraisal i the future

This fast-paced, indepth Webinar is designed for newcomers to the CMMI, as well as those who have been working with CMMI for a while. You are bound to hear some ideas that you haven't considered before, that will help you get better at what you are ALREADY doing.

Your speaker is Jeff Dalton of "Ask the CMMI Appraiser." Jeff is a Certified Lead Appraiser and CMMI Instructor. He has been named the Keynote Speaker at the PMI Great Lakes 2013 Symposium on Agile Resiliency on April 26, 2013 in Detroit, MI. He has conducted hundreds of CMMI Appraisals and taught thousands of students in his CMMI Training classes. As a process innovation thought-leader and CMMI Consultant, Jeff will help you learn how to use the CMMI as one of the tools that can put your company on the path to greatness.

Don't miss this informative event! Register here.

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

Jeff Dalton is a Certified SCAMPI Lead Appraiser, Certified 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 engineering strategy, performance innovation, software process improvement and running a successful CMMI program.

To download eBooks about CMMI, visit Jeff’s Author Page on Amazon.

What exactly is the CMMI?

Dear CMMI Appraiser, I need to know exactly what the CMMI is, so I can determine if it is right for our organization. What does it help companies do, and how do we get CMMI certified? Thank you. ~ Pat C.

Dear Pat, welcome to the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI)! As a certified SCAMPI Lead Appraiser who has worked in the industry for many years, I’m always thrilled when someone new asks about the Model. I’ve come to think of the CMMI as one big party, and everyone is invited!

Practically speaking, there are three things to know about the CMMI:

• The CMMI is a tool to help solve business problems 
• The CMMI is a framework and set of guidelines for changing behaviors and changing culture
• The CMMI is a time-tested, industry-proven model for positive outcomes

… here are just six of many things to know about what the CMMI helps you do:

• The CMMI helps you change and improve requirements churn and volatility, so that you can spend less time and money on requirements
• The CMMI helps you be on-time and on-budget 
• The CMMI helps you motivate your staff, and make them better at what they do. 
• The CMMI helps you understand and deal with risk, before it hurts you 
• The CMMI helps you avoid having too many meetings, unhappy customers and unpredictable projects 
• The CMMI allows you to do what you are already doing, better

As to your question, “How do we get CMMI certified?” I will answer in a moment. First, while the phrase “CMMI certification” is common on Web sites and conversations throughout the industry, the CMMI Institute does not recognize "CMMI certification," Instead, they recommend the following phrasing: “How do we achieve a CMMI level rating?”

You achieve a CMMI Rating ("a level") by building, deploying, and managing a process architecture within your engineering and project management organizations and you use the best practices identified in the process areas of the CMMI model to make it better. That's it!  Once institutionalization is apparent, you can then engage with a CMMI Institute-certified SCAMPI Lead Appraiser to lead you through a SCAMPI Appraisal. For many organizations, it makes sense to work with a CMMI consultant to help you decide when it is best to appraise your organization.  There are many certified lead appraiser who can help you as a consultant as well.

Depending on the appraisal type you select, it will result in either a gap analysis report or a set of formal findings that identify your company as having achieved (or not achieved) CMMI Level 2, CMMI Level 3, Level 4 or Level 5.  You can achieve both "Maturity Levels" or "Capability Levels" depending on your business goals or how you wish to scope the appraisal.  Again, your friendly Certified Lead Appraiser is the right person to ask about this.

But keep in mind: The CMMI is not about getting a CMMI certificate or achieving a CMMI Maturity Level. As I said above, the CMMI is more like a party, an ongoing celebration, a model to help guide you in your quest for becoming a great company … and you’re invited!

Need to know more? Here’s another invitation. Click here to register for our FREE Webinar on March 13th.

CMMI - Everything You Need to Know!

We hope to see you there!

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

Jeff Dalton is a Certified SCAMPI Lead Appraiser, Certified 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 engineering strategy, performance innovation , software process improvement and running a successful CMMI program.

To download eBooks about CMMI, visit Jeff’s Author Page on Amazon.

How to Implement OCM Deliverables in Your Process Improvement Plan (Phase II)

Dear Readers,
Today’s post is a continuation of our response to a question from federal contractor in Central Ohio, who asked about integrating Organizational Change Management (OCM) deliverables into his process improvement plan. Julie Calfin, Broadsword’s Director of Consulting and our resident expert on OCM, has been supplying an answer over several posts. Take it away, Julie! ~ The CMMI Appraiser 

Thank you, CMMI Appraiser!

You know, for those who are new to Organizational Change Management (OCM), the discipline can seem a little overwhelming at first. In reality, the purpose of OCM is simple.  It's nothing more than a strategy to help your people change their behavior quickly with minimal disruption to your business.

So don't be put off by my somewhat lengthy answer to Jerry’s question about OCM. The way we recommend affecting large scale business transformation is by introducing new behaviors to your organization incrementally, and by rooting these behaviors in your organization’s culture. This can be accomplished by integrating your OCM strategy with your work plan – in this case, your Process Improvement Plan.

As I mentioned in my last post, there are OCM deliverables that can be added to each phase of your Process Improvement Plan that will help you affect the change you are striving for. The Phases that we have outlined for your Process Improvement Plan are: 1) Initiate; 2) Implement; and 3) Operate.

Today, let’s focus on the OCM deliverables in the second phase, Implement:

Phase II, Implement, is a critical part of your OCM strategy. The Implement Phase is where it all starts to come together with your team. Specific examples of OCM deliverables in the Implement Phase include the following:

Change Readiness Assessment and Action Plan – Some organizational performance improvement firms (such as my company, Broadsword Solutions) use a survey instrument to assess the client’s current performance in various dimensions that we know are essential to making change happen. Dimensions can include stakeholder commitment, communications, and training. The CRA takes the “temperature” of the organization with regard to the change readiness of its people. CRA results allow us to determine where people are on the Commitment Curve. We can then measure whether or not the majority of people are accepting these changes, or whether the majority have exited out. If they have exited, why have they? If the majority is onboard, are there any pockets of resistance? We create an action plan based on the findings of the survey, which becomes part of the OCM plan.

Organizational Design – With large-scale business transformation, your old organizational structure will no longer apply. Some of the jobs and reporting relationships in that structure will be replaced by a new structure that you create to align with the change you are trying to affect. Organizational design starts with analysis to determine which new jobs are needed, how existing jobs may change, and how the people of the company will need to relate to one another.

Competing Initiatives Assessment – It is extremely useful for organizations to keep track of any other change initiatives that are occurring in the company. After all, people can only absorb so much change at one time. The Competing Initiatives Assessment allows you to identify and assess other change projects that may have an impact on the teams that are participating in process improvement. For example, a new accounting software implementation, launched in the middle of your performance improvement program, may cause financial data on projects to be unavailable. With awareness of the other initiatives, you can plan for and adjust to them.

Status Dashboard – The most useful aspect of having an OCM strategy and plan is your ability to monitor and measure the change you are trying to affect. Having a status dashboard allows you to present status updates to leadership, in different dimensions, to help them understand where the organization is with regard to the change, and how effective your OCM efforts have been. For example, we use a simple dashboard with our clients that displays their current performance in 8 dimensions that are critical to the success of their process improvement program. Here’s a snapshot of an example dashboard:

Training & Mentoring – This deliverable pertains to your training plan for whatever the scope of the transformation effort is. When rolling out new processes and tools, for example, plan for the training you need to help your team learn how to use the new processes and tools. Mentoring, via a formal mentoring program, outlines how you are going to coach people in addition to training them. As an example of mentoring, a team member may be paired with someone who can provide them with coaching. Both individuals are measured on the effectiveness of that mentoring relationship.

There’s more! Check back soon for OCM Deliverables, Phase III: Operate

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

Julie Calfin is the Director of Consulting at Broadsword Solutions Corporation. She has years of real world experience using OCM strategy and tactics to help her clients achieve their goals. Julie also uses the CMMI, in partnership with her clients, to set-up, monitor, and sustain process improvement programs.

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

How to Initiate OCM Deliverables in Your Process Improvement Plan (Phase I)

Dear Readers,

We recently received a question here at Ask the CMMI Appraiser that could not be easily addressed in a single blog post. The question came from Jerry T, a federal contractor in Central Ohio, who asked about integrating Organizational Change Management (OCM) deliverables into his process improvement plan. Let us turn once again to our resident expert on this topic, Julie Calfin, Broadsword’s Director of Consulting. Julie does amazing work with companies that are undergoing large scale business transformation. Take it away, Julie! ~ The CMMI Appraiser 

Thank you, CMMI Appraiser!

As I explained in my last post, the goal of integrating Organizational Change Management (OCM) strategy with your Process Improvement Plan is to help your people change their behavior quickly with minimal disruption to your business. There are OCM deliverables that can be added to each phase of your Process Improvement Plan that will help you introduce new behaviors to your organization incrementally and then root these behaviors in your organization’s culture.

The Phases that we recommend for your Process Improvement Plan are: 1) Initiate; 2) Implement; and 3) Operate.

Today, let’s consider the OCM deliverables in the first phase, Initiate:

Phase I, Initiate, is the beginning of your Process Improvement Program. The Initiate Phase is where you kick-off your program and prepare to move your employees systematically through the stages of change that are required to achieve your process improvement goals.

Some of the OCM deliverables in the Initiate Phase have already been addressed here on this blog:

• Stakeholder Involvement Plan: How do I get a critical mass of people to adopt the CMMI? 
• Stakeholder Identification and Analysis: How do I identify stakeholders for adopting our CMMI-based process improvement program? 
• Communications: As we adopt the CMMI, how do we improve internal communications? 
• Vision: How do I communicate my vision for what we’ll look like after adopting the CMMI? 
• Training for Program Sponsor: How can we accelerate our CMMI adoption? 
• Communication Plan: Is there an easy way for managers communicate about adopting the CMMI?

One deliverable we have not yet addressed is the Case for Change. The Case for Change is the “powerful business case” or the “burning platform” for the Process Improvement Program. It’s essentially the compelling reasons, the data and the supporting arguments for why we need this business transformation. The Case for Change should be documented, but it should also be demonstrated. Employees need to see something that causes an emotional reaction inside them that says, “The status quo is not good enough -- we must change!” Data alone is not a sufficient Case for Change. The Case for Change must also include real life experiences that demonstrate why the organization must change.

Note that all of the OCM deliverables in the Initiate Phase of your Process Improvement Plan are set up when the program first begins. Clearly, this is quite a bit of work, but it is worth it in the end. You will find process adoption is easier when you take the time to plan for the people impacts of the change. These OCM deliverables are necessary for your SEPG to have a successful CMMI process improvement program.

Check back soon for OCM Deliverables, Phase II: Implement

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

Julie Calfin is the Director of Consulting at Broadsword Solutions Corporation. She has years of real world experience using OCM strategy and tactics to help her clients achieve their goals. Julie also uses the CMMI, in partnership with her clients, to set-up, monitor, and sustain process improvement programs.

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

The Art of CMMI: Variations in Tactics

[Our good friend Shawn Rapjack, CMMI expert and seasoned consultant, is back with a another installation on CMMI based on Sun Tzu's "The Art of War: Weak Points and Strong."  We're excited that Shawn has agreed to share segments of his article with you here on "Ask the CMMI Appraiser"]

Continuing the ‘Art of CMMI’ discussion, let’s rattle our sabers with the Art of War’s eighth chapter, ‘Variations in Tactics’.  The theme of the eighth chapter focuses on varying one’s tactics to meet complex and changing situations. 

The student of war who is unversed in the art of war of varying his plans, even though he is acquainted with the Five Advantages, will fail to make the best use of his men.

                  

The ‘Five Advantages’ are obvious military precepts – ‘short roads are to be followed’, etc.

How do we, as process advocates and managers, help our organization to vary its tactics?  Being creative and using alternate approaches improves the flexibility and maturity of our process improvement environment. Following CMMI processes and providing typical work products is good – providing nuanced and creative approaches shows mastery.

How can an organization ‘vary its tactics’ though?  There are countless fronts to this war, here are some examples:

Communication and stakeholder participation; stand-ups and meetings:  As long as the exchange is productive and artifacts are produced, meetings may take any number of variations.  Is it a nice day out?  Not too many bugs?  Have your staff meeting outside!

I’ll always remember one of my manager’s approaches to a ‘curmudgeon’ – a grumpy person who was always unduly negative in meetings.  My manager brought a squirt bottle to our meeting and squirted Mr. Negative every time he said something non-productive.  The practice was somewhat … short-lived, but it brought needed insight to our meeting process though creativity.

Process improvements can be creatively piloted and communicated.  I know an organization that put sticky notes throughout the building to herald the upcoming formal release of their quality assurance program and plan.  Notes on peoples’ desks, cars, lunches, walls, windows, and clothing announced the upcoming plan to all stakeholders (and everyone else).

Training: Jeff excels at this – making training fun.  Why start off on the incredible CMMI journey with dull tedium?  That’s not what CMMI is about. Jeff’s training includes fun participation, CMMI games and haikus!

Alternative approaches: Devising alternative approaches to processes and typical work products helps your organization tailor its CMMI process improvement journey.  Such processes need to be reviewed and guided by a CMMI process improvement mentor.

In my project’s fast-paced rapid-application development environment, we leverage our web expertise to create our own management tools.

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

Jeff Dalton is a Certified SCAMPI Lead Appraiser, Certified 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 engineering strategy, performance innovation , software process improvement and running a successful CMMI program.

To download eBooks about CMMI, visit Jeff’s Author Page on Amazon. 

The Art of CMMI: Maneuvering

[Our good friend Shawn Rapjack, CMMI expert and seasoned consultant, is back with a another installation on CMMI based on Sun Tzu's "The Art of War: Maneuvering."  We're excited that Shawn has agreed to share segments of his article with you here on "Ask the CMMI Appraiser"]

Continuing the ‘Art of CMMI’ discussion, let’s go on the offensive with the Art of War’s seventh chapter, ‘Maneuvering’.  The theme of the seventh chapter revolves around wisely marshaling one’s forces to out-maneuver various types of engagements.  But who are our ‘forces’? When we ‘do war’ on process debt and poor engineering will we fight as a cohesive force or a chaotic mob?  Sun Tzu observes:

Maneuvering with an army is advantageous; with an undisciplined multitude, most dangerous.

Fortunately, there are CMMI practices that assist us with composing our army of process warriors – as in OPD SP 1.7 – Establish Rules and Guidelines for Teams. 

Process teams often align with engineering disciplines such as ‘the requirements team’ or ‘the testing organization’.  But flexibility is required:

Whether to concentrate or to divide your troops, must be decided by circumstances.

Thus, teams may also be created to address specific hot issues dear to the program, such as ‘improving customer satisfaction’. Teams must be composed of individuals with the correct training who represent the entire organization.

So we don’t have an ‘undisciplined multitude’, rules must be established that govern responsibilities, clear lines of authority, and reporting – both within and between teams.  Elements to consider when founding and chartering teams include:

·       Specific mechanisms to approve, assign, accept, monitor, and review tasks

·       Organizational charts

·       Resource allocation

·       Measurements

—and certainly communication. While this would be amusing:

Gongs and drums, banners and flags, are means whereby the ears and eyes of the host may be focused on one particular point.

A Communication Plan would probably work better for us. Among many other things, the Communication Plan defines team intercommunication, organizational reporting chains, and specific communication methods.

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

Jeff Dalton is a Certified SCAMPI Lead Appraiser, Certified 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 engineering strategy, performance innovation , software process improvement and running a successful CMMI program.

To download eBooks about CMMI, visit Jeff’s Author Page on Amazon.

The Art of CMMI: Weak Points and Strong

[Our good friend Shawn Rapjack, CMMI expert and seasoned consultant, is back with a another installation on CMMI based on Sun Tzu's "The Art of War: Weak Points and Strong."  We're excited that Shawn has agreed to share segments of his article with you here on "Ask the CMMI Appraiser"]

Continuing the ‘Art of CMMI’ discussion, let’s jump into the fray with the Art of War’s sixth chapter, ‘Weak Points and Strong’.  The theme of this chapter is attacking your enemy where it is weakest. *Sigh*, no, the ‘weak point’ is not between your manager’s ears –  as process improvement managers, our ‘enemy’ and ‘weak spots’ are process debt, bottlenecks and poor engineering. Such engineering obstacles must be identified and addressed.

To begin the skirmish, identify and analyze organizational weaknesses. This corresponds to Sun Tzu’s guidance:

So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak.

What is the organization struggling with?  What has management identified as areas for improvement or focus?  These questions are addressed with the CMMI’s Organizational Process Focus process area.  In SP 1.3 (Identify the Organization’s Process Improvements), the process engineering group meets the enemy’s weaknesses head-on: Candidate improvements are analyzed to determine specific areas of focus.

Be nimble and creative in your analysis as well as your subsequent proposed solution (later, in OPF: SG 2 and 3): Every engineering obstacle (weakness!) will be unique. Thus, Sun Tzu:

Do not repeat the tactics which have gained you one victory, but let your methods be regulated by the infinite variety of circumstances.

And,

He who can modify his tactics in relation to his opponent and thereby succeed in winning, may be called a heaven-born captain.

Your analysis should pose such questions as: Does the improvement address an underlying organizational weakness – or just a symptom? How will the improvement benefit my organization – is it worth pursuing?  Can I leverage my organization’s strengths?  Thoughtfully answering these questions will help battle weaknesses in your organization. 

Your organization is only as strong as its weakest link.

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

Jeff Dalton is a Certified SCAMPI Lead Appraiser, Certified 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 engineering strategy, performance innovation , software process improvement and running a successful CMMI program.

To download eBooks about CMMI, visit Jeff’s Author Page on Amazon.