Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
4.8 Revisiting the Goal and Challenges on the Process
Improvement Project
The goal at BOND on the process improvement project was multifold. First,
it was to help the project leaders manage their projects effectively as the
organization grew. Second, it was to move the organization forward toward
the achievement of a formal CMMI level 3 as rapidly as possible, but without
adding significant risk to their ongoing business. This meant the TWGs had
to keep an eye on the CMMI model practices addressing potential weak-
nesses. We also had to be sensitive to the use of key people in the
organization who were actively engaged, often working closely with cus-
tomer counterparts on critical projects.
Third, we had been given the added challenge by Senior Management to
maintain the Agile culture the owners felt was critical to the organization's
success to date. To accomplish this, I added a requirement for the TWGs. If
we were to add activities to the existing processes in the organization, the
TWG would have to provide the rationale during the training as to why this
activity added value to the organization.
This led to some interesting discussions among TWG members. Some
argued that we should be able to just tell those being trained that the
CMMI required it and that was sufficient rationale. I objected to this line of
reasoning.
I explained to each of the TWG members that the CMMI requires you to
make conscious decisions related to certain practices based on your business
needs. Any decision we made based on a CMMI practice should be
explained during the training from a BOND business need perspective.
While this approach led to more time being required by TWG members to
discuss current processes and potential weaknesses it helped the organiza-
tion
reason about its own processes
and determine what the right processes
were given their current business and the anticipated potential growth.
Fundamental Rule: Always Ask the Intent Question, and Then
Keep Digging
The first Fundamental Rule of our Agile TWG at BOND was based on some-
thing a lead CMMI appraiser once told me:
Always ask the intent question.
