Broadsword Appoints Tim Zeller to Director of Strategic Solutions

Dear CMMI Appraiser,

Our mechanical engineering firm has attained a CMMI Level 3 to help us operate more efficiently in a Waterfall environment. The Model allowed us get a system in place for getting deliverables to the customer, making it routine and repeatable, which helped us deliver services faster and better in the long run. Now we find ourselves needing to transition to an agile enviornment at the request of customers. Can we expect the same results from CMMI in terms of making deliveries out of our new agile methodology repeatable and scalable? ~ Dan K.

Dan, it is great to hear that you have had such a positive experience with CMMI. When CMMI users like you share their stories, everyone in the industry gets the benefit, so thank you!

Short answer: Yes, you absolutely can (and SHOULD!) use CMMI to help you transform to an agile environment.  CMMI works just as well with Waterfall as it does with agile, and any other approach.  The cool thing about CMMI is it takes what you are ALREADY doing and makes it better.  That's why lots of organizations like yours are using the CMMI as one of the tools that can help them establish the type of environment that can make them a great company. As a result, they have been able to improve all areas of the business, and reach their goals faster. 

To respond to this fast-growing trend, our firm recently appointed Tim Zeller Director of Strategic Solutions. Tim helps identify and implement new opportunities to improve performance, and leads our clients through the transformation from where they are today to where they want to be. He guides them on the path to becoming a great company, using our agileCMMI methodology.

Please read on and join me in welcoming Tim in his new role and wishing him great success!

Tim is a former chief executive of government and non-profit organizations and has served as General Council and Director of Risk Management and Legal Affairs in higher education and the health care industry. He is a Certified ISO 9000 lead auditor and SPHR (Senior Professional in Human Resource) and an attorney who received his Juris Doctor from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan.

Tim also has responsibility for growing Broadsword’s solution offerings, including further expansion of training programs, agile transformation, performance management and organizational change management.

“I am excited about the impact we can have for our clients, not only with CMMI and Agile, but with all aspects of performance improvement,” Tim said.

Tim is well-known to Broadsword's clients, and has been working with us as a partner for more than three years. In his new role, Tim works with our existing clients to ensure they are getting all they need from our talented team. We're looking forward to introducing Tim to more engineering and software professionals who can benefit from the ideas and solutions Tim brings.

Read the full press release here: Broadsword Appoints Tim Zeller to Director of Strategic Solutions

And if you would like more information about using CMMI in your transition to agile, Dan, you are invited to participate in our upcoming Webinar: “Agile Resiliency – Scaling Agile so that It Thrives and Survives,” February 12, 2015 @ 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 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.