The Top 8 New Concepts in CMMI v1.3 (Part 3)

In my past two entries (Oct 22 and Nov 1), I introduced the first seven of my Top 8 New Concepts in CMMI v1.3 -- other than the "front page news" of high maturity clarification and harmonizing the models. 

Here's my Number 1.

1. Agile Interpretive Guidance

Say the word "Agile." Great! Now say "CMMI." Super! Quick question: which sounds sleeker... smoother... sexier? Even the authors of the CMMI would have to admit they lose that battle every single time!

Now, I certainly can't claim to be an agile expert, based on the fact that once-upon-a-time I read a book and then I kinda-sorta applied it. (Along with a dose of the CMMI for Services, though, it did help to turn my little company around.) But I'd be a fool -- and so would you -- to ignore the fact that agile methods such as Scrum have taken the development world by storm in the past decade. Yet, agile developers often don't see how CMMI can help them. Reasonable people have said it can, and publications like CMMI or Agile: Why Not Embrace Both! have explored the ability of CMMI to compliment or improve agile methods.

That being said, don't look for any specially-added goals or practices in Version 1.3 to accommodate agile. Why? They're simply not needed; agility fit just fine into Version 1.2... if you only knew how to interpret the model! (I know... that's a big "if." I make my living largely by telling people for three days at a time how to interpret the CMMI!) So for Version 1.3, you'll find that interpretive guidance has wisely been added. Look for a new section in the CMMI for Development (CMMI-DEV) Chapter 5, entitled "Interpreting CMMI When Using Agile Approaches," as well as new informative material in the following process areas:

• CMMI-DEV: CM, REQM, PP, RD, TS, PI, VER, PPQA, and RSKM
• CMMI-SVC: SSD
• CMMI-ACQ: AM, ATM, PMC, and PP

Example: "In agile environments... Teams plan, monitor, and adjust plans in each iteration as often as it takes (e.g., daily). Commitments to plans are demonstrated when tasks are assigned and accepted during iteration planning, user stories are elaborated or estimated, and iterations are populated with tasks from a maintained backlog of work."

So, finally, you now have my Top 8 New Concepts in CMMI v1.3:

1. Agile interpretive guidance
2. Modernized development practices
3. Teaming concepts
4. Causal analysis at low levels of maturity
5. Customer satisfaction
6. Lifecycle needs and standards
7. Prioritized customer requirements
8. Organizational-level contracts

Remember, there's nothing remotely official about this list. Even I have to admit that the rankings are a bit on the arbitrary side. But, if it helped give you some insight into what Version 1.3 is all about, then I've accomplished my goal.

:)

I hope you enjoyed my countdown.

I'll be speaking at the NDIA CMMI Technology Conference and User Group in Denver, November 15-18. Your last chance to pre-register for this event is today! See http://www.ndia.org/meetings/1110 for details. Perhaps I'll see a few of you there?

The Top 8 New Concepts in CMMI v1.3 (Part 2)

Welcome to part 2 of my countdown of the Top 8 New Concepts in CMMI Version 1.3. In my previous post, I revealed numbers 8 through 5. Today, I continue my Casey Kasem impression by presenting numbers 4, 3, and 2. I'll finally announce the owner of the top spot on Friday.

By the way, an interesting thing happened since my last entry: the SEI released CMMI Version 1.3 -- early! (Isn't it nice to know that an organization providing us with process improvement guidelines can deliver something on schedule?) The new CMMI for Development, CMMI for Services, and CMMI for Acquisition are all now freely downloadable from the SEI's website.

Now, on with the countdown...

4. Causal Analysis at Low Levels of Maturity

At the 2008 NDIA CMMI Technology Conference and User Group, I delivered an impassioned presentation on Using CAR to Rescue a Sinking Process Improvement Program. In my talk, I discussed how I used causal analysis to assist a client organization in solving an important problem -- despite their "low maturity." (I won an award for that presentation, although my friend Angie claims that my skillful inclusion of a shirtless Brad Pitt photo unfairly swayed a few key voters.)

In CMMI Version 1.3, there's now more explicit encouragement to do just that: use causal analysis at lower levels of maturity, without the use of statistics and process performance baselines. To help with  this, the Introductory Notes of some high maturity process areas have been revised. Also, a new specific practice has been added to QPM (SP 2.3 Perform Root Cause Analysis), and a few low maturity process areas have been tweaked.

Example: "Address causes of selected issues that can affect project objectives" [IPM, SP 1.5, subpractice 5 (new)]

3. Teaming Concepts

In CMMI Version 1.2, Integrated Process and Product Development (IPPD) is formally known as an addition to the model. Think of it as an option you might add to that yellow Lamborghini of yours, but one that can have a significant impact on your driving. IPPD's use is targeted for complex projects building complicated products. From an appraisal perspective, you could be appraised against CMMI-DEV, or CMMI-DEV + IPPD, although the latter has happened only in about 5% of recent CMMI-DEV appraisals.

What's changed in Version 1.3? The IPPD addition, as well as the concept of integrated teaming, is now gone. A more general concept of teaming has taken its place, making this new approach to teaming consistent across the three constellations. (CMMI-ACQ v1.2 and CMMI-SVC v1.2 already had incorporated generalized concepts from CMMI-DEV's IPPD addition.) You'll find a few new specific practices in CMMI-DEV.

Example: "Establish and maintain teams." [CMMI-DEV, IPM SP 1.6 (new)]

2. Modernized Development Practices

Like the model itself, much of the engineering content of CMMI-DEV is as old as Buddy and Koko combined (ten). Because the other two constellations (SVC and ACQ) essentially used DEV as their starting point, they're similarly lacking.

Version 1.3 has added, or in some cases simply beefed up, concepts such as quality attributes (non-functional requirements or "ilities"), product lines, systems of systems, allocation of product capabilities to release increments, architecture-centric development practices, and technology maturation. Key changes include:

• Glossary updates, including new terms and revised definitions
• Informative material updates in all three constellations (especially in RD, REQM, VAL, and VER) to bring more balance to functional vs. non-functional requirements (e.g., quality attributes)
• Additional informative material updates to address other modern engineering approaches (e.g., product lines)
• Minor required and expected content updates (RD SG 3, RD SP 3.2, and SSD)

Example: "quality attribute: A property of a product or service by which its quality will be judged by relevant stakeholders. Quality attributes are characterized by some appropriate measure. Quality attributes are non-functional, such as timeliness, throughput, responsiveness, security, modifiability, reliability, and usability. They have a significant influence on the architecture."(Glossary)

Next Post: Part 3 of "The Top 8 New Concepts in CMMI v1.3"

A NEW ENTRY EVERY FRIDAY!

Please check back on Friday, November 5.

The Top 8 New Concepts in CMMI v1.3 (Part 1)

Agile methods. Quality attributes. Customer satisfaction. Try to find these mentioned in Version 1.2 of the SEI CMMI. Go ahead, I'll wait.

Tick, tick, tick...

If you're really good at searching, you may have found a scattered reference or two. But in a few weeks, they'll appear much more substantially in CMMI Version 1.3 -- along with a handful of other new concepts you just won't see in the current iteration.

As you may have heard, CMMI Version 1.3 is largely about clarifying the high maturity (ML 4 and 5) process areas, "harmonizing" the three constellations (CMMI-DEV, -SVC, and -ACQ), and generally refining the model architecture and terminology.

But like an informercial spokesperson tempting you with a device that'll tighten your abs without all that pesky "exercise," I just want to shout "But, wait! There's more!" Hence this blog post. It's about the "more" in Version 1.3 -- the ideas that didn't actually drive the need for change, but that were added to the model anyway.

One warning, though, before you read on: I'm assuming you're already generally familiar with the CMMI. If not, get ready for a heavy serving of alphabet soup.

Let's roll...

8. Organization-Level Contracts

As Welsh singer and septuagenarian heartthrob Tom Jones might say, "It's Not Unusual" for organizations to have lists of preferred suppliers, or for work to be issued under task orders. This isn't explicitly acknowledged in CMMI Version 1.2. In Version 1.3, some informative material -- not a lot -- has been added under the following specific practices:

• OPD SP 1.1 Establish Standard Processes (all 3 models)
• SAM SP 1.1 Determiner Acquisition Type (DEV and SVC only)
• SSAD SP 1.1 Identify Potential Suppliers (ACQ only)

Example: "Examples of types of acquisition include... obtaining products from a preferred supplier." [SAM SP 1.1, informative material]

Sure, this may sound like small potatoes compared to some other items on this list. Still, it's a nice acknowledgement of a reasonable best practice.

7. Prioritized Customer Requirements

I have a way-too-long list of things to do around the house this coming weekend. So I've prioritized my tasks to make sure I at least accomplish the most important ones... like downloading new music!

Prioritization is not exactly rocket science. However, if you peruse your dog-eared CMMI v1.2 book, you'll have a tough time finding much on priorities (specifically, customer priorities).

This changes in CMMI v1.3, by bringing prioritization to the forefront in RD SP 1.2 and by adding informative material to the following process areas:

• CMMI-DEV: OPD, PP, RD
• CMMI-SVC: PP
• CMMI-ACQ: PP

Example: "SP 1.2 Transform Stakeholder Needs into Customer Requirements. Transform stakeholder needs, expectations, constraints, and interfaces into prioritized customer requirements." [RD]

6. Lifecycle Needs and Standards

Perhaps to you, a "lifecycle" is a machine you hop onto at the gym to log your 20 minutes of daily cardio. Well, for Version 1.2 of CMMI-DEV, the lifecycle is focused on development. It doesn't say much about other lifecycles that could be applicable to your organization, such as manufacturing, deployment, operations, maintenance, support, and disposal.

In Version 1.3, Part 1 of CMMI-DEV now explicitly references CMMI-SVC for lifecycles such as manufacturing and maintenance. References to relevant standards have also been added, in the Appendix and in an example box in OPD SP 1.1:

"Examples of standards include the following: ISO/IEC 12207 Systems and Software Engineering - Software Life Cycle Processes [ISO 2008a], ISO/IEC 27000 Information Security Management Systems [ISO/IEC 2009], ..."

5. Customer Satisfaction

The concept of "satisfaction" may figure prominently in a certain Rolling Stones song, but it's rarely mentioned in CMMI v1.2 -- especially in CMMI-DEV. You still won't see customer satisfaction measures required by CMMI v1.3; however, you'll find informative material added to these process areas:

• CMMI-DEV: MA, OPF, PMC, RD
• CMMI-SVC: MA
• CMMI-ACQ: ARD, OPF

Customer satisfaction, and the related concept of customer loyalty, plays a significant role in driving my business -- and hopefully yours as well. The added material is welcomed.

Example: "...Candidate improvements to the organization's processes and process assets are obtained from various sources, including... results of customer satisfaction evaluations" [OPF, Introductory Notes]

Next Week: Part 2 of "The Top 8 New Concepts in CMMI v1.3"

A NEW ENTRY EVERY FRIDAY!

Because I'm teaching class this week, please expect my next entry to be published on Monday, November 1, instead of the regularly scheduled Friday, October 29.

Would you like to know more about CMMI Version 1.3? Join Eileen Forrester on Tuesday, October 26, for the free SEI Webinar: Are You Ready for the Release? What You Need to Know About CMMI V1.3.

Viva Las Vegas! My (Mis?)Adventures at the CMMI Workshop

The esteemed Software Engineering Institute (SEI) held its annual CMMI FunFest (sorry... "Workshop") last week in sunny Las Vegas, Nevada. This means that the world's largest collection of Certified CMMI Geeks descended, en masse, upon Sin City. Including yours truly. Do you really think I'd miss a party like that!?

Now, much like a mushroom, I like to think of myself as a fun guy; so, I flew to Vegas a day before the hoopla began. I don't want to bore you with an exhaustive-yet-carefully-sanitized list of my pre-conference adventures, but on Sunday I did meet a guy by the hotel pool who was reading... the CMMI!! I looked at him and said "Seriously?", to which he replied that he was studying for a certification exam to be held that very evening!

Oooh how fun that would be, I thought. But then I realized I already had enough certifications to get me through a week in Vegas. So instead of joining this scholar-by-the-pool in his noble CMMI journey, I went to "The Strip" to see a real, live Vegas show -- with acrobats and girls in tight outfits* and a freakish walrus and totally rockin' roller skaters and lots of Beatles music and did I mention girls in tight outfits*?

Sorry, I digress... in fact, my personal exploits during the conference have already been embarrassingly documented elsewhere. What about the workshop itself? Well, there were plenty of interesting agenda items, but most of my fellow process weenies were probably there to get the inside scoop on the upcoming release of CMMI Version 1.3.

In a nutshell, then:

Changes to the CMMI Itself. The most significant changes have occurred in the area affectionately referred to as "high maturity." No, I'm not talking about guidance for senior citizens. I mean CMMI Maturity Levels 4 and 5. If I try to actually explain this in detail, though, I fear I'd lose both of you who have been patient enough to read this entry so far.

In fact, a detailed discussion of the Version 1.3 changes is a bit out of scope for this entry. Maybe I'll write about it in the future, in one of those sometimes gaping holes of time that exist between events that pay me actual cash money, allowing Buddy and Koko to eat. (Although Buddy did eat a bird once, and nobody sent me a bill.) Or, you could save me the energy, and just check out the SEI's evolving CMMI Version 1.3 Information Center for yourself.

For those who would like at least a taste of the changes, here's a brief list of the criteria used to drive them:

CAUTION: Potentially hazardous amounts of CMMI-Speak in the list below. Reader discretion advised.

• High maturity clarification.
• More effective generic practices.
• Commonality across constellations.
• Reduction in complexity and size of the model.
• Appraisal efficiency.
• Correction of identified model defects, and enhancements to the model.

Is anybody still reading this?

Again, I'll leave it up to others (Hillel? Jeff? Peter?) -- or maybe even me, in the near future -- to elaborate on how these have actually shown up in the freshly laundered CMMI. I'd only like to point out the incredible restraint I've shown by not drawing the obvious parallel between "enhancements to the model" and augmentative plastic surgery applied to really hot-looking people.

My Verdict: Thumbs up! I find it hard to argue against the changes I saw at the Workshop, and I heard nobody whining much about them either. (If they were, I was too busy singing to actually hear.)

Changes to the Intro to CMMI Course. I teach this course... a lot! So, of course I'm especially sensitive to changes in the material. I run the risk of going on and on about this -- when nobody except other SEI-Certified CMMI Instructors, the SEI itself, or that enthusiastically hand-raising lady to the left might really give a hoot.

So I'll limit myself to a quick summary of key changes:

• Nearly all modules contain new graphics, and overall "look" of the course is different.
• The infamous "context diagrams" (which I've always simple-mindedly called "bubble charts") have been eliminated, and replaced by information presented on three separate slides.
• A case study now weaves its way through the course.
• Some modules have been eliminated or combined.
• A few exercises have been replaced, and another added.

My Verdict: Thumbs sideways. Generally, I think the changes have nudged the course in the right direction. A case study? Awesome... people learn by example. Graphics? Better than text. Ditching the exercises that always caused students to scratch their heads and go "Huh?" Thank you, SEI!

But... I want more. Sure, some graphics have been inserted or redrawn... but I still wish the course had an even more modern look-and-feel. Dumping the bubble charts? I'm just not sure... part of what has replaced them is simply a list of goals and practices. Seems less graphical, not more. In practice, though, I may gloss over those slides and simply...

I'm sorry. Now I'm doing what I said I wouldn't... getting too detailed. In truth, I haven't even looked at every slide yet, plus the course is scheduled for even more updates in the next three months, and maybe the changes will grow on me. Or maybe I'm like Mick Jagger and no matter how hard I try, I just Can't Get No Satisfaction. Still...

Changes to the SCAMPI Appraisal Method. Running is my passion. Music is my passion. Heck, even CMMI training is my passion. Appraisals? By necessity, they interest me. But, a "passion"? Not so much. So I hope you don't mind if I take the route of the Beatles' ill-advisedly drug-induced Day Tripper and "take the easy way out": Check out my new-found Vegas friend Peter Leeson's blog. He's already written about what was said at the Workshop about changes to the SCAMPI Method.

Besides... I'm tired....

My Verdict: Go ask Peter!

A NEW ENTRY EVERY FRIDAY! **

Check back on October 22

* Ladies: For the record, there were indeed guys in tight outfits as well. Happier?

** Maybe. Still thinking this one through. Typical guy, afraid of commitment.

Welcome to My Blog!

Looking for serious, scholarly discussion on the model known to much of the world as the CMMI?

Sorry... you've come to the wrong place. There are plenty of other places where you can find that.

But if you enjoy colorful anecdotes, intriguing insights, self-deprecating humor, and maybe even an occasional entry that's borderline entertaining... well, this just might just be the blog you're looking for. Even if you can't spell C-M-M-I!! So put on your favorite music, pop open your beverage of choice, and sit yourself down in a comfy chair.

Because this is the CMMI like you've never heard it before...

WATCH FOR MY FIRST ENTRY COMING THIS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15