Improve

Wednesday promises to bring us a variety of opportunities to learn and share our process improvement experiences. It includes presentations on the Software Process and its future. It includes discussions on Agile techniques, tools, and effective teams. It will try to make sense of Six Sigma techniques and explain why conducting Peer Reviews is still one of the most important life-cycle activities that can be done. It promises to unveil the secrets of SCAMPI Appraisals, give you a glimpse into the future with a discussion of CMMI v1.3 and even let you suggest topics that you would like to have discussions with your peers on. Show up for Wednesday well rested. It will be worth it!

Here are a few selections for Wednesday that caught my eye:

• Software Process – Its Role and Future – Watts Humphrey – SEI Fellow – This is one presentation that is a “MUST Attend” no matter what else you had planned for the early morning hours. Mr. Humphrey, the Godfather of the CMM / CMMI and the assessment industry and my former boss, will present his views on the field of Software Engineering
  • “To be true engineers, we must use operational processes, measure our work, and evaluate and use the data. Until we do this, our field will continue to be driven by unsubstantiated myth and opinion…….”
  • Mr. Humphrey will certainly articulate what he feels is the next challenge for the software engineering process community
  • Mr. Humphrey wrote his book on “Managing the Software Process” in 1989 while he was in the middle of his tour of managing the Process Program at the SEI. Years and many miles later, he takes his place among the greats: Deming, Juran, and Crosby still sharing his experience and energy for process improvement and quality. BE THERE!
• SCAMPI Evidence from Agile Practices – Judah Mogilensky and Hillel Glazer
  • Discussions abound about how Agile software development practices and CMMI-based process improvement can coexist. You may remember that I keynoted an Agile conference with the presentation: “An Agile View of the CMMI” in November 2008.
  • This presentation not only presents these authors’ viewpoint on Agile and CMMI but goes a step further and provides suggestions for appropriate Agile artifacts that can be used as evidence for several CMMI process areas and practices.
  • Make sure that you keep your self up-to-date on the best discussions on Agile and the CMMI by attending this session!
• The Coach Approach – Stephanie Archer and Robert Leinen
  • Why is it that when great process descriptions are developed they are not instantly accepted and adopted by the projects they were designed for? Resistance and the need for organizational change to be integrated with the process improvements are just two answers to this question
  • Stephanie and Robert from Deloitte Consulting present the ideas behind Deloitte Consulting’s “process coaches” along with case studies illustrating the positive impact of these coaches on actual projects.
  • If change happened all by itself, we would all be ML 5!!!! Put the CMMI SGs and SPs aside for a moment and check out the significant impact a process coach can make!
• Applying Six Sigma Techniques to Process Improvement Effort – Kiran Honavalli and Jarred Market
  • Six Sigma books line most of our shelves whether we have read them or not. Many start out by explaining that Six Sigma is the best quality management method in the world because the method focuses the organization on its customers. Well, I thought most of us focused on our customers whether we used Six Sigma techniques or not – but then again, maybe not.
  • Kiran and Jarred did not promise to take us immediately to Six Sigma with their presentation but they did promise to share some practical ideas on how using Six Sigma techniques can increase compliance to CMMI-based process improvement. I am always one who wants to hear about the practical approaches others have learned about and are willing to share, so come join me and learn some practical basics.
• 125 Appraisals and Secrets Learned Along the Way – Norm Hammock
  • Norm is someone who has extensive experience in CMM / CMMI process improvement and appraisals. His own abstract words got my attention straight away: “Want to learn process improvement secrets from someone who has been there and is willing to share?” When someone is willing to pass along his/her 20+ years of experience in our industry, we should all show up and listen very closely! I know I will!
• Plenary Session on CMMI v1.3 – An Update – Mike Phillips
  • What? Another version of the CMMI? When did that happen? Why wasn’t I informed? Where have I been? Well, you should be aware of the intense work that has been going on to update all three CMMI constellations: CMMI-DEV, CMMI-ACQ, and CMMI-SVC. And if you are not as up-to-date as you would like to be, I suggest you get yourself to this critical information session and get up-to-date quickly!!!!

I will be providing my presentation choices for the last day in the next blog so you will want to check back one more time.  I will also be providing my opinions of the sessions I get to attend during the conference to let you know how I felt about them after I saw the author’s in action.

Catch up with me during the conference and let me hear your reactions to the presentations you have attended. You can easily find me at my partner’s booth 416, Method Park.

More information:  SEPG 2010 Agenda

See you soon!

Tim Kasse
CEO & Principal Consultant
Kasse Initiatives LLC