Thursday, August 27, 2015

Where can I get CMMI training in Michigan at a discount?

Hey, CMMI Appraiser,

We're a supplier to the automotive industry that is adopting CMMI in Michigan, and my boss wants everyone on the Lead Appraisal Team to find a CMMI Training class that goes easy on the budget.  Where can I get a good class for a good price? ~ Al B.

Hey Al,

You've come to the right place!  We still have a few seats left for "Introduction to CMMI" in Southeast Michigan on September 15th -18th.  It's a top-notch learning experience, and your boss is going to love the price!

Register for "Introduction to CMMI" now and save 30%!

"The Introduction to CMMI" training class, which includes an optional 1-day CMMI-SVC supplement, is designed for software and engineering professionals who are interested learning about CMMI, process models, and how to use them to be a great company.

The cool thing about this CMMI Training, versus the other guy’s, is that we help you learn to use the CMMI to learn about yourself, so you can get on the path to greatness. With learning as your goal, achieving a Maturity Level of the CMMI will be just one byproduct of your journey.

In addition, professionals can earn 21 PDUs towards your PMP Certification (or 2.5 CEUs) while learning to improve software and engineering performance with the CMMI.

What is this CMMI Training all about?

Helping you learn about the way you work, so that you can get better -- that's what the CMMI is all about.  By participating in "Introduction to CMMI" will help you understand how to set the right goals and objectives, and keep asking the right question, such as:
  • How do you know you are good at what you do?
  • How do you know if you are improving?
  • How do you know if the process you use is working well?
  • How do you know if your requirements change process is useful?
  • How do you know if your products are as good as they can be?
So sign up for "Introduction to CMMI", and tell a friend. Our CMMI training class is hands-on, interactive, practical, and a lot of fun.

Hope to see you in class!

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 running a successful CMMI and performance improvement program.

Thursday, August 20, 2015

CMMI-TV: Can we really run the whole company using Scrum?

Hey, CMMI Appraiser, can we really run the whole company using Scrum? Not just software projects? ~ NY-SPIN Attendee

Dear Readers,

I had an opportunity at a recent NY-SPIN event to present on “Agile Resiliency,” our strategy for making agile strong enough to survive, thrive and even scale. Today’s episode of CMMI-TV was filmed ON LOCATION in New York City, where I was asked if it were really possible to run the whole company, not just software projects, using Scrum. Below is a video clip of my answer, followed by a synopsis of my response. Enjoy!


OVERVIEW

If companies are going to decide to adopt agile principles, they can choose not to stop with software engineering. An agile company can be agile in every way.

OTHER AREAS OF THE COMPANY WHERE AGILITY IS REQUIRED

Agile companies can be agile in the way they run other departments, not just software engineering, including:
  • Marketing
  • Advertising
  • Sales
  • Accounting
  • Operations
  • Human resources 
… everything!

AGILE VALUES

The secret to having a successful company is understanding that it is not about the methods you use -- Scrum or XP, etc -- it’s about the values you embrace. When you run your company with agile values, you are constantly asking, ‘Are we operating a collaborative, iterative, transparent and high trust environment?’ Focus on values, and the techniques trickle down.

If you’d like to know more about embracing agile values in your organization, and running your entire company with Scrum, you are invited to participate in one of the most popular webinars in our “Everything You NEED to Know” series: “Agile Resiliency!”

Sign up for “Agile Resiliency” on August 25th at noon EST

It's free, it's useful, and it's a whole lot of fun.  Join us, won't you?

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 running a successful CMMI and performance improvement program.

Thursday, August 13, 2015

CMMI-TV: Be Agile by Tuesday? Huh?!?

Hey, CMMI Appraiser, my manager is frustrated that we aren’t already agile. How do we deal with expectations that are out of alignment with agile values? ~ NY-SPIN Attendee

Dear Readers,

At an NY-SPIN event in New York City, where today’s episode of CMMI-TV was filmed, I presented on “Agile Resiliency.” A participant asked what it means when managers set unrealistic expectations around how long it takes to “go agile.” Below is a video clip with my answer, followed by a synopsis of my response. Enjoy!


OVERVIEW

In every industry, agile teams are facing the serious challenge of misaligned values within the organization. Management doesn’t seem to understand what agile is all about, and Scrum teams don’t seem to know how to communicate what they are doing. As a result, unreasonable demands are made on Scrum teams, demands that end up taking the agile out of agile, and driving the wrong behaviors.

EXAMPLE DEMANDS

“Let’s be more agile, but let’s have a weekly standup, not a daily standup.”
“Let’s transition all of our projects over to agile by November.”
“Let’s be agile by Tuesday.”
“Sure, go ahead and be agile; just don’t bother the customer.”
“Let’s start doing agile.”

HOW BAD IS THE PROBLEM?

These misinformed statements come from senior management – the people controlling our budgets. And there’s the rub. All over North America, lack of understanding from upper management limits organizations' ability to embrace and scale agile methods.

WHERE DO AGILE VALUES FIT IN?

Choosing to be agile means embracing agile values, such as having an environment that is high trust, transparent, flexible, iterative and collaborative. Managers need to understand that Scrum teams operate very differently from the rest of the company. This is not a transition that can be successful without having everyone on the same page.

So how does the company go agile without destroying the value of the approach, and without disrupting the business?

SOLUTIONS IN TWO WEBINARS

To learn how to transform your company to agile, and strengthen agile within your company, we invite you to sign up for our two upcoming webinars:

Sign up for “Everything You Need to Know: Agile Transformation” on August 18th at noon EST.

Sign up for “Everything You Need to Know: Agile Resiliency” on August 25th at noon EST.

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 running a successful CMMI and performance improvement program.

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

What’s wrong with a little CMMI training?

[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 reveals why it is critical to develop an infrastructure for CMMI training. Take it away, Jeff! ~ the CMMI Appraiser]

Hey, Jeff, what does the CMMI mean by “Training Capability?” We did a PowerPoint lunch session and we think that’s good enough to be Level Three.

JEFF: Good enough? While I often say that you should have “just enough, not too much” process, this seems more like “not enough, way too little” to me. The Organizational Training practice you're asking about (SP1.4) packs a lot more punch than its diminutive size might indicate.


Let me give you an example. When I conduct a CMMI or Agile gap analysis, I like to schedule it so I can see the organization in action. Artifacts and affirmations are useful indicators for determining whether a behavior may have occurred, but nothing informs us more than seeing it for ourselves. I always try to attend standups, sprint demos, and sprint planning sessions. I like to tour team rooms to see the information radiators. And I like to attend any training sessions that are scheduled.

Last month I attended such a session, and left with the impression that they didn’t quite get the Organizational Training practice “SP1.4 Establish a Training Capability.”

The group of eager students filed in and took their seats at an oval conference room table, most toting some kind of brown-bag lunch. While we waited in uncomfortable silence, I scanned the room for indicators of a training infrastructure.

After a few more minutes, just short of the ten-minute rule we invented in college, the company’s top engineer, a kindly bearded fellow who had been with the team for many years, took his place at the front of the room. In his right hand was a Scrum reference book and in the other a folder of process documents. He gazed across the gaggle of students and said, “So, I’m here…I guess. What do you want to know?” The “training” went downhill from there, and devolved into a spirited debate between agile puristas and pragmatists about whether they were practicing Scrum or Scrum-but. (“We’re using Scrum, but …”) There was no agenda, no learning objectives, and no learning outcomes – in fact, no learning at all!

At the end of “class” I asked the instructor about it. He turned OT SP1.4 back at me by saying “SP1.4 says our training capability only needs to address organizational training needs. And this class meets our needs, so we’re good.”

Hmmmm. I understand it a little differently.

When I think of OT SP1.4, I envision a “training infrastructure” that includes:

- Facilities
- Materials
- Systems
- Qualified instructors, if the class is instructor led.

So, what does it take to create a training capability?

Facilities

The right facility can make or break a training class. Planning and clear requirements will help make the training successful and enjoyable. As part of our class kit we supply a checklist and seating chart that describes the physical requirements for putting on a successful class. These include:

- Tables of four set up in pods with comfortable chairs
- At least four flip charts or some large white boards with dry-erase pens and erasers
- 20 x 20 space behind the tables for hands-on exercises
- Walls suitable for sticky notes and blue tape
- High quality projector with HDMI or VGA interface that is compatible with our laptops
- Projector mounted on the ceiling or an AV cart
- Screen or large white wall suitable for projection

I‘ve improved my checklist over the years as I teach more classes and encounter new road-blocks. For instance, last month I was greeted with a projector that would ONLY work with a Windows computer, and not with my Macbook. This was due to the network interface they used to attach wirelessly to the projector. Since my host may not have even known about this, I now include contact with the IT support team in my class preparation.

When I arrive onsite to teach each class I use the same checklist to QA the facility as soon as I arrive. Just like any other process or tool, using the checklist doesn’t mean the room is always appointed as I expect (no, the CMMI doesn’t make your customers do what you want), but it works more often than not. At the very least it triggers someone to let us know in advance if they’re NOT going to be able to meet the requirements. Once we have the facility covered, we’re ready to produce materials….

Materials

Well designed and professionally produced training materials will enhance learning and ground the class in a comfortable framework that allows both instructor and attendee to focus on the learning objectives and desired outcomes. Materials should mirror both, and need to be carefully thought out to ensure attendees depart with the necessary knowledge to be effective in their roles. A thoughtful combination of “follow-along,” hands-on, job-aids, and reference materials will help ensure that attendees who have different learning styles will complete the class with the information they need to be successful in their role.

Our “Introduction to CMMI” checklist includes the production of these four types of materials, some of which are given to each attendee, and others shared by the class as a whole. They include:

- Follow-along: bound PowerPoint slides and exercise book
- Job aids: agile guideline handouts, checklists, quick reference materials, practice exams
- Hands on: game sheets, planning poker decks, sticky notes, Legos, tennis balls, balloons, and dice
- Reference: CMMI-DEV text book, Scrum textbook

Since I often travel to teach each class, textbooks are drop-shipped to the facility, and everything else is produced at the local Fedex Office for delivery. So that leads us to Systems…

Systems

A training capability also includes the use of systems to describe the course, house the materials, facilitate production, register attendees, track completion, and gather feedback. This system could include the use of technology, but could also be manual depending on size and complexity.

For our CMMI and Scrum classes we leverage the following systems:

- A WIKI catalogue to house the master descriptions of all of our courses
- Eventbrite for each course description, registration and payment
- Fedex Office cloud to house all materials and facilitate production
- Amazon Prime for ordering, purchasing, and shipping textbooks
- Excel template (CMMI classes), corporate portal database (all classes) tracking completion
- Paper surveys, and Survey Monkey (all classes) for capturing and analyzing feedback

We have most of it in place now, so if we just had some instructors….

Qualified Instructors

Now, let’s get back to our bearded friend. He was a nice enough fellow, and he certainly had the technical knowledge to understand the material, but a teacher? Not so much.

Organizations I work with sometimes want to put their best engineers or project managers in the instructor’s chair, but that is often not the best choice. Having the prerequisite knowledge and certifications, if required, is only the first gate for instructor selection. A qualified instructor should also be able to:

- successfully convey information from multiple perspectives
- guide a class towards completing the learning objectives and desired outcomes
- deal with disruptions professionally and effectively
- provide relevant context, stories, and examples
- think quickly and improvise as needed
- use humor to make relevant points (and counter hecklers!)
- be an entertaining, interesting, and credible presenter

Being a great instructor is challenging work, and it’s not for everybody. Instructors need to know more about the subject than anyone else in the room, be prepared for any question, no matter how nuanced, as well as possess the aforementioned personal characteristics. Some of this can be taught, but many of the best teachers naturally possess these skills.

So, looking back at my gap analysis, our friends in the brown-bag lunch session weren’t getting what they deserved, but they were getting what the company paid and prepared for. Smart organizations develop a training infrastructure to help ensure that their team members know what behaviors are expected, and commit to training as if they are developing a valuable corporate asset.

Just like anything else with the CMMI, it’s easier to do all of this if you focus on improving performance, rather than achieving a CMMI rating. The extra-special double bonus for your effort is increased performance without working harder.

Our bearded instructor was asking the right question when he asked, “what do you want to know?” He was just asking it a few months too late.

For those who are interested in a different kind of CMMI training, you are invited to register for one of my upcoming CMMI training courses:

“Introduction to CMMI-DEV” Training – Southeast Michigan – September 15th - 17th/18th, 2015

“Introduction to CMMI-DEV” Training – Fairfax, Virginia – September 29th - October 1st /2nd, 2015

Note: both courses include a 1-day supplemental CMMI-SVC class (optional).

© Copyright 2015: Process Assessment, Consulting & Training and Broadsword Solutions

“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. Your questions are always welcomed!

Saturday, August 8, 2015

Is CMMI Training like auditor training?

Hey, CMMI Appraiser, the Lead Appraiser that the company hired has informed me that I will be monitored for producing work product evidence for all of the sub-practices in CMMI. He said I need CMMI training, but I’m scared. Is CMMI training like auditor training? ~ Bali

Hey, Bali,

No need to fear. CMMI training is NOTHING LIKE auditor training, because a SCAMPI appraisal is NOTHING LIKE an audit! If your Lead Appraiser is treating the SCAMPI appraisal like an audit, he is driving all the wrong behaviors. I can’t image a more insidious waste of time and money – not to mention the drain on emotional capital. He is making you (and others in your company, most likely) fear the CMMI for no good reason.

Did he really say he’ll be monitoring you? Um, like this?



No wonder you're scared!  But it doesn't have to be this way.

What your Lead Appraiser needs to understand is that CMMI is just not an audit. Nothing about the CMMI is like an audit; CMMI is a model for continuous improvement. As Lead Appraiser, your consultant is tasked with not only ensuring that you’re using the model properly, but that you are getting value out of it, and that your company is using it to become a great company. That’s the bottom line of CMMI. 

If your Lead Appraiser is insisting on seeing “work product evidence,” or what are now called “artifacts” for every single sub-practice in the model, he’s acting like an auditor. The CMMI does NOT call for an audit of sub-practices! Sub-practices simply give us a glimpse into the mind of the authors to help us understand what they were thinking.

The practices in the CMMI are meant to provide valuable guidance for you. They are not things to comply with, as written. They are not hoops to jump through or penalties to be incurred if you miss a step. They are suggestions of what to do to make your company incrementally and iteratively better. 

There are few quick-fixes in the CMMI. I do have one suggestion, though. You can make your company instantly better by getting rid of that Lead Appraiser and replacing him with a good Lead Appraiser.

A good Lead Appraiser wants to know how he can help you get better. He doesn’t want to see you saddled you with “process debt,” busy-work and taxes. Rather, a good Lead Appraiser wants you to understand that CMMI is not scary when you learn to use the Model to set the right goals and objectives, and keep asking the right questions. For example:
  • How do you know you are good at what you do?
  • How do you know if you are improving?
  • How do you know if the process you use is working well?
  • How do you know if your requirements change process is useful?
  • How do you know if your products are as good as they can be?

Helping you learn about the way you work, so that you can get better, is what the CMMI is all about. With learning as your goal, you’ll stay on the path to greatness, and achieving a Maturity Level of the CMMI will be just one byproduct of your journey.

There are many CMMI training courses available in the marketplace. Look for a class that offers real life examples, lessons and proven techniques, so that your team can take away – and retain – valuable information to be used on the job, immediately. 

If you are interested in learning about registering for one of our upcoming CMMI training courses, click the links below:



Note: both courses include a 1-day supplemental CMMI-SVC class (optional).

Hope to see you in class!

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 running a successful CMMI program.