How should we present evidence to our Lead Appraiser?

Hey, CMMI Appraiser, how should we prepare to present evidence to our CMMI Appraiser? We’ve always had an Agile software environment, but my partners and I have decided to adopt the CMMI for the structure and improvement it provides. Naturally, because of the cost, we want to do everything we can to assure we will pass the SCAMPI A Appraisal. ~ Joe C.

Hey, Joe,

Good decision to adopt the CMMI as a way to improve upon your agile software development practices. Some people claim the two are incompatible, but those people don't seem to understand that the CMMI is all about making what you ALREADY do, better, so it's a natural fit with agile (or any other projects).  Want to make the "Daily Standup" more effective?  CMMI can help you.  Want to get better results from "Planning Poker?"  CMMI can help.  You and your partners are correct that CMMI will help you add structure. But the value of the CMMI goes much deeper than passing a CMMI Appraisal. If you follow the intent of the CMMI, it can actually help you become a great(er) company.

Now, there are lots of ways to provide evidence to your CMMI Appraiser that you are doing great work. Here’s my favorite: Just show it to the guy!

What evidence should you show the CMMI Appraiser? How about a Scrum team room? They use “information radiators” for good reason - to share information! Look around you. Information is radiating everywhere. A well-run Scum team room can "radiate" information about 50+ practices from the CMMI!

Look at your white board. On that white board you’ve got sticky notes everywhere, with risks identified, carefully prioritized ('what keeps you up at night') with their sources associated with them.  Is that evidence?

Yes!

It’s OK to be creative in how you show evidence to your CMMI Appraiser. Photographs work. Tours work. Drawings work.  Even tattoos could work, if your team is so inclined (of course, getting a tattoo can cause infection, so always use a reputable artist).

This CMMI Appraiser likes to have companies give me detailed presentations about their projects before we even start. I tell them to go through and show me things so I can get the whole context. They show me white boards. They show me the comments in their code. Sometimes they even show me scanned napkins (please only use clean ones....).

That’s cool! The purpose of gathering evidence is not so you can check a box and say, “I have a document.” The purpose of evidence is so the Appraisal Team can reasonably (not beyond the shadow of a doubt, but reasonably) verify that you are indeed doing something like what is described in the CMMI book.  Of course, extra bonus points if you use a medium that OTHER people can benefit from.  A napkin is fine, as long as it can be stored, retrieved, shared, and used to make other projects better.

Bear this in mind as you get ready for your SCAMPI-A. You are not designing processes. You are creating environments to be productive. You are designing the way you want people to behave.

So do a little strategic thinking here.  How do you want people to behave? What are you trying to do as a company? Your CMMI Appraiser is asking you these questions too – at least this one is.

Being a great company is what you should focus on, Joe, not what you need to do to pass an appraisal.  Do THAT, and a nice certificate will likely be hanging on your wall.

Now that you know it – show it!

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.

We need the CMMI because we need one standard process, right?

Hey, CMMI Appraiser, I am an engineering executive in Virginia serving healthcare organizations. We use Agile methods for most of our internal projects, but we now need to become more disciplined. A Virginia CMMI consultant recently told us that our organization needs one standard process. This sounds correct, but while we evaluate our options, what is your opinion? ~ Douglas F.

Hey, Douglas,

I hear that all the time.  Consultants love talking about the CMMI as being all about everybody doing the same thing every time. According to them, the CMMI is repeatable and predictable, and that means that everybody has to have the same behavior. One size fits all.

It sounds correct. But is it?

Unfortunately, the CMMI says nothing of the kind.  What needs to be repeatable are the OUTCOMES.  Many projects are unique and require there own "way of doing things" (otherwise known as the PROCESS) - even though they will have repeatable outcomes (high quality software, efficient production, happy customers).

This is not to downplay the CMMI’s ability to help you bring more discipline to your Agile methods. It is a terrific tool for that purpose. As a matter of fact, it is THE TOOL for that.  However, it does not say you need a single standard process. The CMMI says you should have a SET of standard processes from which each project can derive their unique process.  A “set” means more than one. And “more than one” means you need some flexibility and agility to decide how you are going to do something.

So, to be successful in adopting the CMMI in your Agile environment, you’ll need to understand what the CMMI says and doesn’t say. You also need to know that, in the CMMI, flexibility and agility outweigh rigid compliance.  See my Agile Process Manifesto....

For example, let’s say your development team has a new project. Do they want to use Planning Poker to estimate? Do they want to use Wideband Delphi or Cocomo? Or do they want to use something else? The answer depends on what they are building and the constraints they are dealing with.

"Constraint-based process."  I like it.  Look for more of that in the future!

The ability to provide flexibility is the most important thing you can do when it comes to improvement and deploying process. Rigid compliance hurts you, it doesn’t help you.

The great thing about the CMMI is that it is extremely agile. It gives you the ability – in fact, it mandates – that you have choices and agility. It's right in the book ("Integrated Project Management").

I’ll say it again. A set means more than one, and more than one means there is room for flexibility and agility.

Now, there are some excellent consultants who specialize in the CMMI out there. But there are also many (too many) who can barely spell “CMMI.”

The adoption of CMMI carries with it many complex emotions. Some software and engineering executives feel strongly that they want to improve organizational performance. Sometimes they covet "CMMI certification" – and sometimes they want both.

Whatever your goals, Douglas, it can be a challenge understand how to interpret the true meaning of the CMMI at first. Turning to a qualified CMMI consultant can help alleviate the pain, remove roadblocks, and set you on the right path. But beware! A person promising to relieve you of the baggage by promising “one standard process” may not have the skills and experience you need - so tread carefully.

Anyone can claim to be a CMMI consultant. But only a small amount of people in the world have the requisite skills, training, experience, and certifications that qualify them for the task - and an even smaller group of them have a proven track record.  Think about it - it's not just "CMMI."  It's organizational change, communications, successfully giving (and getting ) advice.  It's complicated!

Good CMMI consultants have a deep holistic understanding of the entire model, how it works, and useful ideas on how to use it to improve your company. They will recommend an approach that bridges agility and discipline, in a manner that fits the way your organization is already doing things.

Watch out for CMMI consultants tell tell you one size fits all.  Next time, just say, "NO!"

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.