Sunday, March 30, 2014

Is there a disconnect beween agile and traditional ways of working?

Hey, CMMI Appraiser, is there a disconnect between agile and traditional ways of working? ~ SD Times

Dear Readers,

Recently this CMMI Appraiser was interviewed for an article in the Software Development Times. It is now available FREE for YOU, our loyal readers, so check it out!


The magazine asked whether I saw a "disconnect" between agile and traditional ways of working, and if so, whether this negatively impacted software quality.

Disconnect? Hello? In some organizations, it’s a full blown dysfunction! It's so common, I've coined a phrase to describe it:  “While we’re all off iterating, the business is off waterfalling,”

Here's a quick recap of some of the points I made in the article, and some I would have liked to have made, had there been more space.

The negative impact of this disconnection or dysfunction shows up in requirements churn, which has given rise to a philosophical shift. In years past, engineering and software professionals didn’t think about bugs and defects in terms of requirements problems or customer problems or management problems. Instead, we focused on code. Then we found that the code did what it was supposed to do, but didn’t do what the customer wanted it to do.

So now we think of it as a requirements problem.  Once we can understand where the defect was injected into the process, we can change the process to fix it. For example, we can validate the requirements in a different way as they come in the door. We can catch these things before they get to test, before they get to design and code or build, and before they get to requirements spec drill-down. In other words, we can CHANGE the process to CHANGE the outcome.

That’s what the CMMI is all about. The CMMI gives us a framework for doing something to the process to change a behavior or an outcome. Applying the Model to the requirements and design process allows us to solve problems caused in the early stages when they’re the least costly to fix.

See, the cool thing about the CMMI is that it is not so much an engineering model as it is a behavioral improvement model. It actually gives us data that allows us to say, “The next time we do this thing, is there a way to do it better, faster, cheaper, with higher quality and less costs?” – or whatever our goals and objectives might be.

Get the whole article at http://sdt.bz/68797#ixzz2vDgNSMzz - and thank you for reading "Ask the CMMI Appraiser!”

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.

Friday, March 28, 2014

How do we find a CMMI consultant who shares our values?

Hey, CMMI Appraiser – three years ago, we decided to commit to performance improvement, company-wide. We started applying the rigors of the CMMI to our software, finance, product development, marketing and HR functions. We think we’ve done a pretty decent job, but before we schedule a SCAMPI Appraisal to test it, we want to find a CMMI consultant who shares our values. What are some of the criteria we should consider before hiring a CMMI consultant? ~ Fordham A.

Hey, Fordham,

Congratulations on your commitment to being a great company! Not many organizations come to us already understanding that the CMMI can improve performance across all areas of the business, not just software process improvement. Everything works better when it all works together. I applaud your innovative approach to business!


To help you identify the right fit for your unique business, here are my Top 10 Questions you should ask yourselves about every CMMI consultant you are considering:

  1. Does the CMMI consultant have the knowledge and content you value?
  2. Does the CMMI consultant have an established approach to doing business?
  3. Does the CMMI consultant understand your business and have a plan for helping you be successful?
  4. Does the CMMI consultant suggest practical, agile, incremental ways to make your company better?
  5. Does the CMMI consultant anticipate your needs?
  6. Is the CMMI consultant a creative problem-solver focused on you?
  7. Is the CMMI consultant professional and ethical at all times?
  8. Is the CMMI consultant fun and hassle-free to work with?
  9. Is the CMMI consultant primarily concerned with the real value of the CMMI, and not just the best way to achieve CMMI Level 2 and CMMI Level 3?
  10. Is the CMMI consultant focused on helping you set the right goals and objectives, and helping you ask the right questions?

As you know, Fordham, the CMMI provides a framework for changing behaviors and changing culture that can establish an environment for allowing you to operate like the great company you know you can be – for the long term. We call that the “path to greatness.” Having a CMMI consultant who shares your values can help you stay on the path to greatness, and achieving a Maturity Level of the CMMI will be just one byproduct of your journey.

Now that you know what you're looking for, you are on your way!

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.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Webinar reminder: CMMI Information for Extra-Small Companies!

Dear Readers,

New CMMI Information for extra-small companies is coming to your computer screen on Thursday at 1PM ET!

Because this FREE, LIVE Webinar was designed specifically for the owners, partners, directors, managers, and senior engineering staff of a company with fewer than 20 employees, we would love for you to register (if your company is extra-small), or share this opportunity with someone you know in business.

Join us on Thursday, March 20, 2014 at 1PM ET for: “Shattering the Myths about CMMI and Extra Small Companies!”




Here are some of the Myths about to be SHATTERED:
  • CMMI is only for big companies? MYTH!
  • CMMI is too expensive to implement? MYTH!
  • CMMI and Agile don't go together? MYTH!
  • CMMI requires too much documentation? MYTH!
  • CMMI success is hard to achieve? MYTH!
This webinar sheds new light on WHY and HOW your extra small businesses can benefit from adopting the CMMI. You will take-away much needed information about why you should consider CMMI as a performance innovation strategy and process improvement model that can have a big impact on your extra-small company.

Register now! Sign up 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.



Thursday, March 13, 2014

Why are Values such a Big Deal?

OK, CMMI Appraiser. I know Corporate Values are important, but it seems like every company says the same thing. I just don’t see how they make a real difference in what we do. What is the Big Deal about values?

Dear Reader: 

That is a great question. And, it’s one we’re serious about.

Let’s assume you have a darn good company, or that you are on the path to becoming one. What makes you that way?

Leadership, your expertise, and your people are important. So are your business processes – the way you do your work, every day. Good and great companies do their work in a predictable, consistent way. 

But, what happens when a company’s values become disconnected from the way people do their work? We think it leads to bad decisions, strained customer relationships, and poor quality. 

To be useful, Values must guide behavior

At Broadsword, we call this “making values operational.” We use a “values-based architecture” that links Values, Methodologies, and Techniques. Our goal is to trace a direct link between the company’s values and how work gets done. 

Here’s an example. If one of your values is to “incrementally deal with issues and risk,” you might select a method such as Scrum and use a technique like Daily Stand-up. If you are an Agile shop, choosing Waterfall with this value would be a problem.

I am convinced that Values are critical. They have an impact on customers, on employees, and on the way products are developed and code is written. 

We have nine core values that we have “operationalized.” Each value guides our behavior and can be traced to how we do our work. Our values range from being “creative problem solvers focused on our clients” to being “fun and hassle free to work with.”   

We think our Values reflect who we are as a company. They’re definitely a big deal.

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 engineering strategy, performance innovationsoftware process improvement and running a successful CMMI program.

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

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

It’s About the Skills, Not Just “Training”

[Dear Readers, our good friend Pat O’Toole, CMMI expert and seasoned consultant, is collaborating with us on a new 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 Pat talks about the importance of having the necessary skills and competencies, not just meeting a requirement for “training.” Take it away, Pat! ~ the CMMI Appraiser]


In order to address GP2.5 (Train People), we’ve developed 2 hour PowerPoint presentations for each process area and have sign‐up sheets that show we’ve trained all personnel on the processes relevant to their roles. We should be golden in an appraisal, right?

At the risk of being labeled a radical, let me suggest that we forget about the CMMI for a minute…
If I’m the current occupant of the corner office, I don’t care if my people have been “trained,” I care that they have the skills and knowledge to perform the work for which I am paying them. I recognize that in order to achieve a high degree of proficiency, my people need competencies in four skill dimensions:

1. Fundamental skills
2. Domain/product skills
3. Process/tool skills
4. Supplemental/soft skills.

When filling a project management position, the interview process will explore, among other things, the candidate’s knowledge of, and experience in project management. If the person happens to be a Project Management Professional (PMP)® this is pretty easy, as they have achieved an industry-recognized certification that attests to their fundamental skills. They have demonstrated the knowledge and ability to plan and manage projects using such foundational concepts as Work Breakdown Structures, Earned Value, risk management, etc.

OK, so the new hire has fundamental project management skills, but can they apply their skills in our little corner of the world? What do they know about banking systems, EFT, check imaging, and the associated industry standards and governmental regulations? Do they understand the products and services that we offer to meet the needs of our demanding marketplace, and how our customers use our offerings to perform their work? Do they understand the competitors’ product offerings and why we occasionally lose out in a competitive bid situation? 

Without such insight, they will not be able to employ their fundamental skills in an optimal manner on OUR projects. If there are gaps in domain/product knowledge, they need to be addressed for this new hire to become proficient.

In addition, I want to make sure that my people can use the processes and tools that our organization is providing to enable them to perform their work. If they don’t know how we move a project from Point A to Point B, they won’t be able to move their project along in an efficient manner. Such kinks in the system need to be identified and addressed to keep the products and services (and therefore the revenue) flowing seamlessly. 

Better yet, rather than “identified and addressed,” I would prefer that such kinks be “anticipated and avoided,” moving from the reactive state of problem resolution to the proactive state of problem avoidance.

Finally, various roles may require some supplemental skills, a subset of which we typically refer to as "soft skills.” My new project manager may have tremendous fundamental, domain, and process/tool skills, but if they have a cosmic meltdown and a bad case of the sweats every time they present to management or the customer, then we have a problem. Or maybe they write really badly, or they don’t delegate, or they’re not a team player, or… (BTW, an example of a supplemental skill that is NOT a “soft skill” is the ability to read and write Japanese.)

Notice that I didn’t need the CMMI to tell me that my people should have appropriate skills in each of these four dimensions – it’s simply smart, pragmatic management. When interviewing people for an open position, we are trying to match their skill profile to the position’s skill requirements – the more of the required skills they already have covered, the quicker they can contribute to our success.

Rarely do we find the ideal candidate – one that has the perfect combination of fundamental, domain, process/tool, and supplemental skills – so there is nearly always a need to address skill and knowledge gaps. We may use coaching, mentoring, and stretch assignments to address some of these needs. We may place them on a team where they will have the support of other practitioners to help them ramp up quickly. Oh, and we may provide them some formal training as well.

So if management in an organization that doesn’t use the CMMI knows this, shouldn’t management in an organization that uses the model be at least as good? Assuming the answer is “Yes,” doesn’t the 2 hour PowerPoint presentation approach seem a bit underwhelming? Such an approach appears to be much more focused on passing an appraisal than on ensuring employees have the necessary skills and knowledge to perform their work effectively and efficiently.

But let’s be realistic, as soon as you generate an appraisal finding indicating that the 2 hour PowerPoint approach is insufficiently robust, you should fully expect the CMMI Legal Lawyers (who graduated from "Certify U”) to crawl out of the woodwork and strenuously object. “Show me in the model where it says that training is required to cover fundamental skills, domain/product skills, process/tool skills, and supplemental skills!” they protest – and truth be known, given the letter of the law, they are right – the model doesn’t say that.

However, as a top notch defense attorney, you will have already had this discussion with the appraisal sponsor, asking if she is satisfied with a minimalistic approach to “training,” or if she would prefer a more comprehensive approach to competency management – an approach that would provide real value by evolving new hires from marginally adequate to demonstrably proficient. Once she nibbles on the bait, you can tell the CMMI Legal Lawyers that their objection has been overruled.

For those of you that feel more comfortable having model basis for such a finding, remember that
Organizational Process Focus specific practice 1.2 suggests, “Appraise the organization’s processes periodically and as needed to maintain an understanding of their strengths and weaknesses.” Unfortunately, most people interpret this last bit as “… an understanding of their strengths and weaknesses with respect to the CMMI.”

But it needn’t be that way! One could just as easily interpret this as “… an understanding of their strengths and weaknesses in accomplishing organizational and project objectives.” Interpreting the model in this way encourages the lead appraiser community to break free of its own compliance mindset and constraints, thereby empowering us to help our clients appreciate and exploit the value the model is truly intended to provide.

© Copyright 2014: Process Assessment, Consulting & Training and Broadsword Solutions
“Just the FAQs” is written/edited by Pat O’Toole and Jeff Dalton. Please contact the authors at

pact.otoole@att.net and jeff@broadswordsolutions.com to suggest enhancements to their answers, or to provide an alternative response to the question posed. New questions are also welcomed!

Monday, March 10, 2014

Can 200,000 visitors ALL be wrong?

Dear Readers,

Thank you for visiting our award-winning blog! You are now one of 200,000 readers to do so!

Yes, together we’ve crossed the threshold of 200,000 all time page-reads, and this CMMI Appraiser couldn’t be prouder. We’re thrilled to reach another milestone, because it means great people like you are getting the message.



As you know if you’ve been with us for a while, I am incurably passionate about helping people use the CMMI as one of the tools that can guide their journey on the path to greatness. I share this message everywhere I go, at conferences, seminars, training sessions, webinars, podcasts, videos and ebooks – and innumerable blog posts and tweets – all with the goal of helping you increase performance and improve quality at your company.

So if you are here because you need even MORE opportunities to learn, please check your calendars and see if you can join us for the following events:

CMMI WEBINAR
Shattering the Myths about CMMI and Extra Small Companies!”
March 20, 2014 | 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM ET
Sign up for the CMMI for Extra Small Companies Webinar

KEYNOTE PRESENTATION
Quality Engineered Software and Testing (QUEST) Conference: Baltimore, MD
April 7-11, 2014
Register for QUEST

CMMI TRAINING
Introduction to CMMI Training: Troy, MI
April 8-10, 2014
Register for CMMI training

CMMI TRAINING
Introduction to CMMI-DEV: Dallas, TX
April 23-25, 2014
Register for Intro to CMMI

CONFERENCE PRESENTATION
SEGP NA 2014 (a/k/a The CMMI Conference): Tyson’s Corner, VA
May 6-7, 2014
Register for the CMMI Conference

CONFERENCE PRESENTATION
Better Software West / Agile Development: Las Vegas, NV
June 1-8, 2014
Register for the Conference

If you find this information useful, all we ask is that you keep coming back to the show that never ends … and bring a friend!

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.

Sunday, March 9, 2014

What’s Your Biggest Software Development Challenge?

Hey, CMMI Appraiser. What is the biggest challenge you see today in software development? – Steve M.

Your question is timely, Steve.

We talked about Software Development challenges at a recent Embedded Software panel discussion. As expected, ideas ranged from lack of time to lack of communications about requirements. Other issues included technology, skills, training and funding. While they are all important, I think there is an even bigger challenge: Values.

Whether it's Boeing, NASA, Lockheed Martin, Ford and GM, the problem always comes down to values.

Corporate Values? Okay, stop rolling your eyes!

Corporate Values typically talk about Service, Honesty, Excellence and Respect. The problem with Corporate Values like these is that they are never really implemented. 

In order for values to be useful, they have to be about actionable behaviors. They have to be operational. They have to say: “Here is how we want our people to behave.” 

In software, you can trace customer’s needs to business requirements, technical requirements, and to code and test cases.

We also need BEHAVIORAL traceability. If we make values operational, we can trace them from training, to skills, to tools, to code, to requirements, and to everything we deliver.

Operational Values are things we all agree to. Is it harder? Absolutely. It’s way harder. Simpler? Way simpler. But, it’s worth the effort. 

By the way, I am speaking on "Values-based Engineering" at the GL-SPIN meeting in Rochester, MI on March 13. I’ll be expanding on some of the ideas we just covered. Join us if you can!


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 engineering strategyperformance innovationsoftware process improvement and running a successful CMMI program.