For several years now, the DC SPIN has conducted occasional "Back-to-Basics" nights, when people who were just getting started at CMMI-based process improvement could bring their questions, and the presenter, Judah Mogilensky, would do his best to provide answers. The original idea was to limit questions to beginner topics: getting a process improvement program started, the basics of appraisals, the essential concepts of Maturity Level 2 process areas, and the more basic aspects of Maturity Level 3.
However, the whole field has now grown and expanded to the point where it’s not only beginners who have important questions. People are interested not only in the basic topics we have traditionally covered at the “Back to Basics” meetings, but also in such new question areas as:
• I know about CMMI for Development, but what’s up with these new constellations, CMMI for Acquisition and CMMI for Services?
• And there’s not only the CMMI models, but also the People CMM. How does that fit in?
• I’ve heard about formal SCAMPI appraisals, but now there are not only formal SCAMPIs, but also more informal SCAMPI-B and SCAMPI-C appraisals. What’s the deal with them?
• And there are new rules about formal SCAMPI-A appraisals, including a three-year validity limit on appraisal results, requirements for advance registration of appraisals with the SEI, and new reporting requirements for high-maturity results. What’s that all about?
• And being a Lead Appraiser, or even hiring one, has gotten more complicated, with High Maturity Lead Appraiser certification, and now written certification exams for all Lead Appraisers. Can you help me understand how all that works?
• Oh, and speaking of high maturity, there is a lot of new guidance about how the ML 4 and ML 5 process areas are to be interpreted. What does all that mean?
• Last but not least, some of us really are still beginners, and we have some of the traditional “Back to Basics” questions.
The November meeting will be devoted to answering attendee questions in all of these areas, and no aspect of process improvement will be out-of-bounds. This will be your opportunity to ask those burning questions that have been bothering you for a long time, but that have not been able to get answered anywhere else. While opportunities will be provided at the SPIN meeting to bring up questions, priority will be given to questions that are sent in ahead of the meeting. If you have a question that you want to see addressed at this session, please send the question to Judah at his E-mail address: mailto:judah@pep-inc.com
Please put “SPIN Free-for-All question” in the Subject line. You will find that the questions that are bothering you are also bothering a lot of other people, and they will be happy you brought them up. At the same time, even if you don’t have questions on your mind at the moment, you will find the discussion at the meeting to be stimulating, informative, and enjoyable.
Presenter/Facilitator: Judah Mogilensky
Judah is President of Process Enhancement Partners, Inc., and he is one of the founders of the D.C. SPIN. Judah provides software process improvement support to commercial and government clients throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Israel, and the Far East, as a consultant, trainer and appraisal team leader. Judah is certified by the SEI as a SCAMPI High Maturity Lead Appraiser, and is authorized as an instructor for the SEI's "Introduction to the CMM" course. He has also completed training as a SCAMPI Lead Appraiser for the People CMM.
Judah serves as a Visiting Scientist at the SEI, performing as a SCAMPI-A Observer and a High Maturity Lead Appraiser examiner. His Visiting Scientist work also includes contributing to such publications as “CMMI-Based Professional Certifications: The Competency Life-cycle Framework” and “The SCAMPI Lead Appraiser Body of Knowledge.”
Judah is a Qualified User of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), and a proud member of the 1996-97 class of Satir System Training. In 1998, he served as an Apprentice at the Congruent Change-Shop. His SEPG Conference presentations include "Behavioral Clues to Organizational Process Maturity", “Back to Basics Night: Demonstration and Discussion”, and “A Modest Process Area Proposal: Blame Allocation”. Judah holds a B.Sc. and M.Eng.degrees in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University.