Tuesday, April 29, 2014

The #1 Reason I'm Going (Back) to the CMMI Conference This Year: To Build Stronger Relationships with Key CMMI Institute Leaders

Dear Readers,

Pack your bags! It’s almost time to head out to the Washington, DC area for SEPG North America 2014 for two solid days (May 6-7) of learning about using the CMMI to elevate organizational performance! But before we go, I have one final thought to help you make the best use of your time at the CMMI Conference. Our countdown of the Top 5 Reasons to Attend is all the way down to #1.

Here's the countdown so far:

Reason #5: To learn about elevating organizational performance.
Reason #4: SEPGNA is a great place to talk about things that matter to your business. 

Today we wrap things up with Reason #1!




Drum roll, please! The #1 Reason to Attend the CMMI Conference this year is …

To build stronger relationships with CMMI Institute leaders.

Whether you’re new to the CMMI Conference, or are a regular attendee of our industry’s premier event on process improvement and the CMMI, introducing yourself to your hosts is not only the polite thing to do, it is one of the best reasons for going to the SEPGNA. Especially this year, when key CMMI Institute leaders will be in attendance.

Space on this blog is limited, so I’d like to call attention to five of the many important and influential people that you’ll want to be sure to meet at the Conference. They are:

  1. Kirk Botula, CEO of CMMI Institute. Kirk is a team-builder, visionary and just an all-around terrific guy. Meeting with Kirk will give you peace of mind that the CMMI is alive and well and has a strong future. You’ll get insight into his vision for how the CMMI will grow, evolve, sustain and be successful over time.
  2. Dan Torens, COO. Dan’s in charge of managing product releases and executing strategy, and can help end-users get a feel for how the CMMI Institute operates, how its future products will be released and what some of the major internal projects might be.
  3. Rawdon (“Rusty”) Young. Rusty is a key player and an invaluable resource. He is involved in the hands-on creation of new products and next-generation releases of the CMMI. Talk to Rusty about your questions on CMMI, DMM, and SCAMPI.
  4. Lisa Masciantonio, Director of Strategic Relationships. As every CMMI Partner learns, there is no better person to connect with at the CMMI Institute than Lisa. Lisa is all about listening. She loves to reach out to Partners and end-users for their suggestions and ideas on making the CMMI Institute even better.
  5. Eileen Forrester, Certification and Training Director. A lead author of CMMI for Service and the learner-centered approach, Eileen has a broad range of skills, research interests and areas of expertise. You’ll find Eileen a joy to know!

As key representatives of the CMMI Institute at SEPGNA, Kirk, Dan, Rusty, Lisa and Eileen are a big part of the face of a product lines that we use every day. If you are a CMMI user – or are considering adopting the Model – you’ll want to get to know them and tap into their vast expertise. If you are a CMMI Institute Partner, it’s important to meet with these leaders, so you can join us in working more closely with them on reinforcing the brand. The CMMI Conference is the perfect place to do that.

While I don’t have space to write about ALL of the great people at the CMMI Institute, I’d also encourage you to connect with Alex Stall, Darlene Moore, Chavonne Hoyle (Marketing Director), Katie Tarara, Geoff Terrell, Deen Blash, and everyone else on the team.

Other great folks you don’t want to miss at SEPGNA this year are the leaders of the many general sessions and workshops of the Conference. These CMMI users are on the front lines of process improvement and performance acceleration, so you get practical, relevant and valuable learning experiences straight from the ones who know!

And that’s it, my friends! Those are my Top 5 Reasons to Attend SEPGNA – and there are many more reasons that you are sure to discover on your own. I’m looking forward to hearing about YOUR experience.

See you in our nation’s capital!

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.

Monday, April 28, 2014

The #2 Reason I'm Going (Back) to the CMMI Conference This Year! To spend quality time with customers

Dear Readers,

The greatest conference on the planet is almost here! The CMMI Conference (a/k/a SEPGNA 2014) is coming to Tyson's Corner, VA on May 6-7 and, if you’re just joining us, we’re counting down my Top 5 Reasons for being there.

Here's the countdown so far:

Reason #3: To gain control of process

Today we’ve arrived at Reason #2!


Drum roll, please! Reason #2 is …

To spend quality time with customers.

We all know that one secret to success in business is building strong relationships with the customer. This is especially true in the context of CMMI, where we are focused on helping companies improve performance, drive Process Innovation, and be the great companies they are striving to be.

If you are a CMMI practitioner or a supplier of CMMI services, the CMMI Conference is more than an opportunity to acquire knowledge that can help you be a better resource for your customers. It’s a rare chance for you to spend quality time with customers off-site in a dedicated learning environment. So consider the following question as a personal challenge:

Will you take the opportunity to build stronger relationships with your customers by bringing them to the CMMI Conference?

As part of my commitment to the CMMI, I always invite my customers to the Conference. Here’s why I am encouraging my fellow CMMI Institute Partners, consultants and suppliers to do so as well:

Where else do you get to spend quality time with your customers? So often in our day-to-day work, we are on-site to solve problems. There are subgroups to be evaluated and artifacts to be collected. But during the 2-day Conference near Washington, DC, you’ll be able to connect with your customers on a personal level. You’ll dine together, attend sessions together and – with networking events scheduled in the evenings – you’ll be able to hang out and just talk.

Where else do you have the opportunity to guide your customers through the learning process? Think about it. Would you rather have your customers try to grasp the real meaning of CMMI on their own, or with you by their side? Would you rather leave them in the dark about the long-term value the Model provides, or help them see the light? Clearly, you want to be there in the sessions with them. You want to ask them about what they are learning. And when questions inevitably come up, you want to be right there to answer with real-live examples from their current projects.

Where else can you introduce your customers to the leaders of the CMMI Institute, as well as other adopters of the CMMI? For me, this is one of the most rewarding experiences at the CMMI Conference. I love to see new friendships form when I connect my customers to others who have overcome the same problems they’ve been facing. Plus, this will be my first opportunity to introduce several of my customers to the smart folks from the CMMI Institute, the sponsors of the CMMI Conference.

In my opinion, missing the chance to invite customers to SEPGNA would be a mistake. You’d only get half the value. Sure, you’ll learn plenty of strategies, tips and techniques that can make you a better CMMI consultant or CMMI supplier. But you will have bypassed the opportunity to integrate customers with each other, so that they can have a support system of their own. And that would be to deprive them of something extremely valuable that they can’t get anywhere else.

As I said in a previous post, the CMMI Conference is a chance to talk about things that matter! You and your customers are going to have a blast together. What could be better for your relationship?

So let’s be generous and share the knowledge. I urge each of you to invite at least one customer, whether they be internal or external, to come to our nation’s capital and take part in the conversation. And don’t forget to register here.

The countdown continues! Check back soon for Reason #1.


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.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

The #3 Reason I'm Going (Back) to the CMMI Conference This Year! To gain control of process

Dear Readers,

It’s hard to believe, but this year’s CMMI Conference is mere weeks away! For those who haven’t decided to register yet, I hope to give you something to think about with the countdown of my Top 5 Reasons for being in the Washington, DC area on May 6 and 7 for SEPG North America.

If you are just joining us Reason #5 was: To learn about elevating organizational performance.

Reason #4 was: SEPGNA is a great place to talk about things that matter to your business. 

Today we’re down to the final three reasons.


Drum roll, please! Reason #3 is …

To gain control of your process

Given this year’s high powered line-up of speakers, workshops and events, SEPGNA 2014 promises to be another excellent opportunity to come together and talk about continuous improvement and making our teams more productive using the CMMI. I’m looking forward to hearing about real-life issues that organizations are facing every day in their quest to be a great company.

Like what?

By all indications, the biggest problem many companies are STILL facing is a lack of control over process. They are dealing with late projects, over-budget projects, unpredictable results and unhappy customers. In many cases, they have made small improvements, but nothing has given them greater control for the long-term.

Does that sound familiar?

If so, I can promise you, you’ll have your eyes opened up at SEPGNA. This year, the sharpest minds in the industry will be discussing how to maximize the impact and business results of CMMI and performance improvement. You’ll get new ideas for applying best practices for adopting the CMMI as a tool that can help you set up an environment that makes improvement possible. And you’ll have the opportunity to discuss strategies with other leaders who learned to leverage the CMMI to establish a useful level of control over their process.

Great companies know that the key to process improvement and performance innovation is to “know how you know” the process works. Adoption of the CMMI can give you the data you need to do that. It can show tell how the process is performing, whether you are getting the results you expected, and how you can make it better.

Why is this true? Because the CMMI is a framework for learning. It helps you learn about yourself, your company and the way you do your work. And there are practices within the CMMI that can help you apply what you’ve learned to make that even better.

The value of a great conference like SEPGNA is that it helps you learn about keeping these things on the top of your mind, so that you always know how things are going, and how they can be made better.

So join us! Come on out for the great learning experience, powerful conversations and new insights on how to gain control of your process!

The countdown continues! Check back soon for Reason #2.

Register for the CMMI Conference.

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.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

The #4 Reason I'm Going (Back) to the CMMI Conference This Year! To talk about things that matter.

Dear Readers,

Have you heard the buzz? Everybody’s talking about the CMMI Conference (a/k/a SEPGNA 2014, a/k/a “The Greatest Show on Earth”). This year’s conference is coming to the Washington, DC area on May 6 and 7 – and it’s going to be better than ever!

As a veteran attendee, sometimes speaker at SEPGNA conferences, and longtime practitioner of the CMMI, I love talking with people about using the Model for process improvement and performance innovation. I’ve found no better place to do that than at the SEPGNA Conference every year. That’s why I put together this list of Top 5 Reasons to attend SEPGNA 2014 – to share all the ways you, too, may come to think of North America’s premier CMMI experience as YOUR number one conference of the year!

For those who are just joining us, Reason #5 was: To learn about elevating organizational performance. Now let’s continue the countdown, and Reason #4.


Drum roll, please! Reason #4 is …

To talk about things that matter

Yes, SEPGNA is THE place to talk about things that matter to your business. Things like reducing defects, improving quality, increasing the speed of delivery, and creating predictable, repeatable results. If it has to do with changing behaviors and doing what you need to do to be a great company, it’s open for discussion.

Do you enjoy a good, spirited conversation about process improvement and performance innovation? Of course you do! And you’ll get a lot of that at the CMMI Conference.

Every year, the SEPG North America conference draws a wide variety of engineering, project management, and software professionals, who come from a vast array of disciplines. Some are organizations that are getting started with CMMI, and are interested in hearing user stories that offer applicable lessons. Some are experienced in using the guidance of the CMMI and are looking for ways to take the next step in performance improvement. And some are industry experts who are excited about sharing some new and powerful ways the CMMI is being used by companies small and large around the globe.

As a certified Lead Appraiser, I always enjoy to talking about the amazing results I’ve seen companies achieve with the CMMI. I know that if you adopt the CMMI you will likely experience improved performance, increased productivity and fewer project delays. You’ll be on-time and on-budget more often, and your workforce will be happier and more productive.

Whatever your interest, this year, you’ll have plenty of chances to join the conversation, as the CMMI Institute is planning an even richer, more interactive CMMI conference experience. Some of the hottest topics in the industry are slated for discussion, including:

  • Getting results with CMMI
  • Making the most of your metrics
  • ROI and CMMI for Services
  • Agile and CMMI for Acquisition
  • Drawing insights from stories aggregated from dozens of CMMI users

With this year’s theme of Elevate Organizational Performance, the 26th annual SEPG North America conference promises to give companies even more to think about. There is a full slate of high-quality, proven speakers, workshops and break-out sessions to choose from, with opportunities to discuss both principle and practice that we can all take home to our organizations.

What better place for conversations about the power of process improvement than at SEPGNA, with people like you and me, who get it?

So come on out to the Washington, DC area, and join the conversation! 

Register here.

The countdown continues! Be sure to check back soon for Reason #3.

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.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Top 5 Reasons to Attend SEPG 2014 Is BACK!

Friends,

Once again, the CMMI Institute has been gracious enough to host my annual countdown of the "Top 5 Reasons I Am Going (Back) to SEPG 2014" this year on their site. You can link to the initial post here: http://sepgconference.org/im-going-back-sepgna-2014/


Join us in the Washington, DC area on May 6-7 to hear User Stories from other companies, cutting edge tips on how to use the CMMI to make your company as great as it can be, and to establish or continue the connections made at North America's premier conference for Performance Improvement and the CMMI.

Broadsword will be there, and I will be presenting my theories on “making values operational” by leveraging the CMMI’s strength as a “values-based architecture” that links Values, Methodologies and Techniques. The goal is to learn how to trace a direct link between your company’s values and how work gets done, so that you can operate like the great company you've always known you can be.


Enjoy - and see you soon in our nation’s capital!

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

Jeff Dalton is a Certified SCAMPI Lead Appraiser, Certified CMMI Instructor, ScrumMaster, author, and consultant with years of real-world experience with the CMMI in all types of organizations. Jeff pioneered agileCMMI, the leading methodology for incremental and iterative process improvement. He 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 #5 Reason I'm Going (Back) to the CMMI Conference This Year!

Hey, CMMI Appraiser!  Why should I make the trip to SEPGNA 2014? ~ friends met at other conferences this year 

Hey, friends!

It’s that time again! The CMMI Conference (a/k/a SEPGNA 2014) is coming to the Washington, DC area on May 6 and 7!

Now, I know what some of you are thinking. Whether you are just starting to consider adopting the CMMI for your organization, or already have extensive experience with the Model – you’re probably wondering whether this year’s CMMI experience is right for you.

Wonder no more! As a veteran attendee, sometimes speaker at SEPGNA conferences, and longtime practitioner of the CMMI, I feel so strongly about the value of the Conference that I’ve developed a list of Top 5 Reasons to attend SEPGNA 2014. And here we go!



Drum roll, please! Reason #5 is …

It’s all about helping you elevate organizational performance.

As you know if you’ve attended the Conference in the past, SEPGNA is the premier organizational performance improvement conference. Hundreds of professionals come from around the world come to learn, network and explore solutions to their performance challenges. It’s such an amazing event that I like to call it “the greatest show on earth!”

This year, the show will be even better! Our host, the CMMI Institute, has been working hard to make sure this year’s Conference has something for everyone who attends, wherever you are in your professional journey. Following a theme of “Elevate Organizational Performance,” the Program Committee has created two days of content focused on positively impacting the way you do your work.

Now in its second year, the re-imagined format is designed to help you explore using the CMMI to improve performance through first-person case studies, interactive workshops, and powerful presentations that can help you to get started with CMMI or take your organization to new levels of success.

Whether your interest is multi-model, practical process improvement, high maturity, agile, DevOps, Services, acquisition, or any other discipline, you will find ample opportunities to dive into the principles and practices that can help your organization better harness the power of performance improvement with the CMMI. Check out the CMMI Conference schedule.

The variety of learning opportunities alone is incredible. You can expect to come away with real life, practical and implementable ideas. For full details about the Conference logistics and to register, navigate around the SEPG Conference site.

The CMMI Conference is an great opportunity to spend two days focusing on how you can get better at what you do. For some, this will be reason enough to attend this year’s conference. Others may be preparing for their SCAMPI Appraisals, want to learn how to scale Agile, or just want to learn more about CMMI. Why will YOU go?

The countdown continues! Be sure to check back soon for Reason #4.

Register for the CMMI Conference.

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.

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Can agile survive in a Waterfall world?

Hey, CMMI Appraiser, last year I joined a Northern Virginia-based IT solutions provider to the Federal Government, to build up their agile division. For months we have been trying to scale Scrum, but are under constant internal and external pressure to change the way we work.  In your opinion, what I'm trying to do, is it even attainable?  Can agile survive in a Waterfall world? ~ Simon P.

Simon,

Stop right there. Take a step back from the ledge.

First, it will help you to realize that you are not alone. Far from it.  We are ALL living in a Waterfall world. While we are off iteratin’, our company leaders are off Waterfallin’. And even though they are smart, dedicated, wonderful people, they just can’t seem to understand the value of Scrum, or any of the other agile methods.

But there is a solution. There is a way that agile and Waterfall can coexist. And the effects can be beautiful.




Strengthen agile – don’t CHANGE it.

To be able to scale Scrum, you need to strengthen your agile values in two places. The first place to strengthen agile is within your own company. This won’t be easy. I bet if I were to look through all of your departments, not just software engineering, but accounting, marketing and sales, operations, I would find that your CEO, CIO and COO are off living in a Waterfall world. That's one reason Scrum projects can’t scale and why you might feel you're not getting much traction.

The second place to strengthen agile is in your interactions with external forces. By trying to change what you are doing, the Federal Government is actively, but probably un-knowingly, weakening your agile values. And if it’s a struggle between the Federal Government and agile, we all know who is going to win!

Both of these battles are winnable, Simon. Keeping in mind that you are still relatively new to the company, you should not expect victory this year or even next. The issues are just too big. But if you start working on techniques you can use to strengthen agile, you will be able to build a process integration layer to get your agile teams to talk to the business leaders. This will help you win the internal battle. And when you are winning the internal battles, you can persevere in the face of pressure from the client, and win some external battles too.

The CMMI is the perfect tool to help you do that.

By using CMMI as a framework (as opposed to slavishly adhering to practices) you’ll be in a position to work with the Waterfall mindset of both your organization and your client.

How does this happen? Consider:

First, the CMMI provides a framework for your agile teams to talk to the business leaders, helping them understand how well agile methods are working for THEM, and to communicate important information to other stakeholders like middle management, customers, and accounting.

Second, the practices that CMMI makes available to you include those that help bring greater clarity and strength to the Scrum ceremonies themselves (the “Specific Practices” in the CMMI), and those that help strengthen the understanding, adoption, and continuous improvement of the agile values and behaviors (the “Generic Practices” in the CMMI).

For these reasons, and many others, the way to make agile survive and flourish in the Federal Government is to make it stronger. And the way to make agile stronger is with CMMI.

Don't CHANGE it - make it better!

Since you are in Northern Virginia, Simon, you may be interested in a keynote presentation I am giving nearby on the topic of using the CMMI to strengthen agile. I’ll be speaking at the QUEST Conference in Baltimore in April. Check out the details:

WHAT: Keynote presentations
TITLE: Agile Resiliency: How CMMI Will Make Agile Thrive and Survive
WHERE: Quality Engineered Software and Testing (QUEST) Conference: Baltimore, MD
WHEN: April 7-11, 2014
HOW: Register for QUEST

I hope you can make it, Simon. You’re sure to come away with lots of new ideas for helping your Scrum teams survive and thrive the Waterfall world. And that will be a beautiful thing.

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.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

What can we learn about Process Architecture from Justin Beiber?

[Dear Readers, for the past several months, our good friend Pat O’Toole, CMMI expert and seasoned consultant, has been collaborating with us on a monthly series of CMMI-related posts, "Just the FAQs." Our goal with these posts is to provide answers to the most frequently asked questions about the CMMI, SCAMPI, engineering strategy and software process improvement. This month Jeff takes the helm with an article about process architecture and Justin Beiber. And away we go! ~ the CMMI Appraiser]

Our Process Consultant tells us that we need to apply an equal amount of rigor to all 350+ practices in Maturity Level Three, and that everyone must do everything “the same way, every time.” She says that this will “guarantee” that we will “pass our appraisal.” Is this right? ~ Celia Z.

Justin Bieber’s “Baby” sounds pretty darn good on my iPod.

What? Did I just say that?

Yes I did. And as a matter of fact, he sounds GREAT on my iPod! Don’t get me wrong, he’s not my style, and if it weren’t for the fact that my 12 year-old niece gifted me a copy of it on iTunes (I must have done something very mean to her), I wouldn’t have it at all. But here it is - and it sounds GREAT!



It sounds great because the engineer turned all of the “knobs” to the right place. They’re not all turned up to “11.” In fact, some are turned most of the way down (and should be). The mix is tailored just for you (or my 12 year-old niece, to be more precise).

On the other hand, I have an old recording of Pink Floyd from the 70s that I recorded on a handheld cassette recorder at a live show in Madison Square Garden, and it sounds AWFUL. Now, I freely admit I don’t remember much about that night, but I do know one thing: those knobs were definitely in all the wrong places!

The CMMI is a little like the knobs on a sound engineer’s mixing board. In fact, the CMMI’s mixing board is a lot bigger, with more than three-hundred and fifty knobs in Maturity Level Three, each one of them affecting not only the outcome, but also one another. The potential for tailoring (and results) is staggering!

We can’t possibly have all of our process knobs turned up to “11,” and we can’t have them all set in the same way for each team, project, or company. Each instantiation deserves its own unique mix. That leads us to an indisputable truth that some practices are more (or less) important than others - but only as it pertains to your project, your team, and your objectives.

What? Some practices aren’t as important as others?

That’s right. That’s why “fixing” a “partially implemented” practice by reverse engineering the practice and cranking up its intensity and documentation doesn’t always yield the result you were hoping for. Sometimes that weakness is caused by the way we have all of the other knobs set. I call that approach to fixing appraisal results “whack-a-mole." Who knows what carnage you’ll introduce to the system when you ”fix” one of these? You’ll end up hurting yourself if you’re not careful!

Some consultants are fond of saying that ML3 is about “everyone doing everything the same way, every time.” I’ve heard others say “more than 54.7% of the subpractices must be implemented for it to be FI!” Others say that every practice and sub-practice must be given equal attention.

I disagree on all counts.

That’s because the model and the training materials scream “’DEFINED PROCESS’ DOESN’T MEAN ‘A SINGLE PROCESS THAT IS WRITTEN DOWN!’” It’s more akin to “select”, “customize,” or “modify.” But for some reason, people still don’t get it.

And for the record, it means “multiple,” not one.

Or to paraphrase one of my little niece’s favorite movies: “Defined. You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

In order to better visualize this, it helps to take an integrated view of the following practices:

IPM SP1.1: Establish the Defined Process
QPM SP1.2: Compose the Defined Process
OPD SP1.1: Establish Standard Processes
OPD SP1.3: Establish Tailoring Criteria and Guidelines
GP3.1: Establish a Defined Process

When you throw in clarifying material from the “Introduction to CMMI” class, it becomes obvious that a flexible architecture that supports multiple processes with controlled variability is what the model is calling for - and what makes your project more successful.

Contrary to these consultants’ claims that “sameness” is a requirement, in all but the most cookie-cutter applications adoption and enforcement of a single process, and by definition the absence of “a defined process” will likely lead to an unsuccessful appraisal. Why? Because forcing everyone down the same process path with all practices equally turned “up to 11” implies little or no tailoring, or that no analysis was used in composing a project’s defined process – or as I like to call it “the way do our work.” Talk about mindless Maturity Level One behavior!

Creating a successful Defined Process is all about where we choose to place the knobs. Should we use Planning Poker or COCOMO? Should we use Fagan Inspections or bench reviews? Should we use a daily standup or an all-hands status meeting? All of these tools can, and should, be in your toolbox – and pulled out at the right moment. It’s a question of where, when, and how they are applied.

Placement of the knobs will determine the outcome, so choose carefully, it’s the difference between a good project and a great one!

Oh, and for a fun example of how sound engineers turn their knobs to make people like Justin sound so good, check out this video on YouTube: http://bit.ly/1ctPuuf.

“Just the FAQs” is written/edited by Jeff Dalton and Pat O’Toole. Please contact the authors at jeff@broadswordsolutions.com and pact.otoole@att.net to suggest enhancements to their answers, or to provide an alternative response to the question posed. New questions are also welcomed!