Introduction to Agile Software Development and Disciplined Agility - A Complimentary Webinar

SSCI has published its first on-demand training resource – Introduction to Agile Software Development and Disciplined Agility. The course module employs several innovations – the presentation material was developed using Atkinson’s Beyond Bullet Points strategy and it features a synchronized audio presentation by our Agile coach, Bob Small. Finally, the course includes some optional quizzes to help reinforce the learning experience.

For more information regarding how membership with SSCI can benefit your organization, please contact us at ask-ssci@systemsandsoftware.org.  

SSCI Among First SEI Partners to Provide New 3-day Introduction to CMMI for Services course - SSCI Releases New Paper 

The CMMI for Services (CMMI-SVC) provides a cost effective approach for improving your service processes by leveraging the investment already made implementing the CMMI-DEV. The new 3-day Introduction to CMMI-SVC is perfect for those who want to know more about service process improvement and those who want to be an appraisal team member for CMMI-SVC.

For more information regarding how membership with SSCI can benefit your organization, please contact us at ask-ssci@systemsandsoftware.org.  

CSC’s Enforcement, Security and Intelligence Group Achieves CMMI Version 1.2 Maturity Level 3 Rating

The Systems and Software Consortium, Inc. (SSCI) congratulates CSC’s Enforcement, Security and Intelligence (ESI) Group on successfully achieving Maturity Level 3 (Defined) rating using the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) - Development, version 1.2.   

Gene Jorgensen, SSCI’s Software Engineering Institute Certified Standard CMMI Appraisal Method for Process Improvement (SCAMPI) Lead Appraiser, led the appraisal team over a two week period.  Team members reviewed documented processes and interviewed all levels of systems practitioners, developers, support staff, program managers, and company management. 

“This achievement reflects ESI’s strong commitment and support to the successful integration and use of enterprise and group legacy standard processes,” says Gene Jorgensen.  “It also demonstrated ESI’s ability to be flexible and accommodate client imposed process methodologies on some programs. The programs’ adherence to these processes consistently resulted in improving quality, productivity, and schedule performance which was a key organizational business objective.”

CMMI was developed by a coalition of industry, government, and the Software Engineering Institute to objectively appraise an organization’s software and systems development capability.  Level 3 indicates that an organization’s processes are institutionalized, consistent across the organization, and measurable.  Companies who attain a Level 3 maturity rating continually meet or exceed customer expectations by delivering high quality products within budget and on time.

CSC’s news release on this rating can be found on their website.

About SSCI

The Systems and Software Consortium, Inc. (SSCI) is a nonprofit partnership of market leaders, government agencies, and academic affiliates.  As a consortium, SSCI enables industry and government to co-invest in the development of systems and software processes and capabilities that improve business performance.  Members also have access to a team of technical experts whose collective knowledge of best practices and lessons learned gives SSCI the unique opportunity to offer practical advice and proven solutions.

SSCI has played a critical part on the CMMI Team for the development of CMMI and remains on the cutting-edge with its involvement in recent model changes and the introduction of CMMI for Services.  Our experts apply their robust experience base from completing hundreds of CMM/CMMI appraisals to effectively guide members through the entire appraisal process. 

For more information regarding how membership with SSCI can benefit your organization, please contact us at ask-ssci@systemsandsoftware.org.  

Are We Really Getting Higher Maturity Benefits? – SSCI Releases New Paper

SSCI recently released Are We Really Getting Higher Maturity Benefits?  This short paper provides some key indicators that can help you decide if you are truly performing as a high maturity organization.

For more information on CMMI, please contact SSCI at ask-ssci@systemsandsoftware.org .

SSCI to Present at the 2010 SEPG North America Conference

SSCI process improvement expert, Mike Evanoo, will present at the 2010 Software Engineering Process Group (SEPG) North America conference on March 22-25 in Savannah, Georgia. SEPG brings together leading industry organizations who are combining process management methods such as CMMI, People CMM, TSP, PSP, Agile, Six Sigma, ITIL and ISO standards to perform at a higher level.  The theme of this year’s conference is Build Your Skills in Software, Systems, and Services Process Improvement.  

Mr. Evanoo’s presentation, High Maturity in Practice:  Using Case Studies to Drive Consistent Interpretations, introduces a case study approach for collecting, communicating and sharing real-world examples and experiences in implementing high maturity to help drive a common interpretation among Lead Appraisers and implementing organizations.  This approach was started by a community of High Maturity Lead Appraisers over the past few years.

In addition to presenting at the SEPG conference, Mr. Evanoo has also been invited to participate in a special session on March 22 previewing the changes to CMMI v1.3 that relate to high maturity. This session will address the issues, challenges, and resolutions surrounding high maturity.  Participants will work with the authors to ensure that the change requests received during the CMMI Workshop in October 2009 have been addressed by the proposed changes.  Mr. Evanoo will also be participating in the 5^th Software Engineering Institute (SEI) Workshop on High Maturity Measurement and Analysis directly following the SEPG conference March 26-27, 2010.  This workshop will offer a unique opportunity for open dialog among participants from leading organizations in the field and will focus on process performance models (PPMs), their costs and benefits, and barriers to their adoption and implementation.

Following the SEPG conference and workshop, Mr. Evanoo will share his unique perspectives from the conference, the special session, and the workshop in a paper that will be posted on our website.  Mr. Evanoo’s presentations will also be available for download. 

If you are interested in learning more about high maturity or any other SSCI product or service, please contact us at ask-ssci@systemsandsoftware.org.   

Take Control Over Your Project’s Cost and Schedule – A Complimentary Webinar

Many organizations implement Earned Value Management (EVM) to achieve greater project control over cost and schedule. Some organizations have even mandated the use of EVM in project management as part of complying with their customer requirements. Although EVM has many benefits, applying it effectively can present several challenges. This 1-hour complimentary webinar, Earned Value Management - An Overview , presents the fundamentals of EVM and its implementation.  It addresses strengths and weaknesses of the EVM method and briefly introduces techniques that make EVM more responsive in today’s project environments.

About this webinar:

The purpose of this webinar is to provide a foundation in EVM and introduce techniques that enhance EVM in today’s project environments.

Who Should Attend:

The intended audience for this webinar includes Program/Project Managers, Engineering Managers, and Technical Leads. It is also ideal for staff involved in project planning and tracking who want to learn about EVM and its implementation. Process developers, process improvement, and measurement personnel may also find this webinar beneficial.

To learn more about EVM or any other SSCI product or service, please contact us at ask-ssci@systemsandsoftware.org.

How CMMI Improves Performance and Prepares Businesses to Compete for Government Contracts – Complimentary Webinar

Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) can open up a world of new customers to you and can improve your efficiencies.  But before making an investment in CMMI, we encourage you to listen to our 1-hour Webinar to find if CMMI is right for your organization. 

This webinar is ideal for companies who plan to pursue small business government contracts.  Government agencies are increasingly mandating CMMI certification for many of its contracts.   Learn how SSCI has cost-effectively helped your competitors prepare for this new requirement.

There is no cost for this opportunity.

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What is CMMI?

CMMI is a process improvement approach that provides organizations with the essential elements of effective discipline-specific processes that improve performance.  A CMMI rating is necessary for most Government contracts.

Benefits of CMMI

CMMI can be used to guide process improvement across a project, a program, a division, or an entire organization. It helps integrate traditionally separate organizational functions, establish process improvement goals and priorities, provide guidance for quality processes, and provide a point of reference for measuring current performance against industry best practices.

About the Webinar

This Webinar is designed for all levels of executive, technical, and program leadership.  This online overview presents the critical aspects of CMMI and related information necessary to decide if CMMI is an appropriate improvement path.  Additionally, sufficient details are presented to begin to plan a CMMI-based improvement initiative. 

Presenter: Michael S. Evanoo, Certified High Maturity Lead Appraiser for CMMI, Certified Instructor for Introduction to CMMI, Certified Scrum Master, Six Sigma Black Belt, Principal Member Technical Staff, Systems and Software Consortium, Reston, VA

Sponsors: Systems and Software Consortium, Reston, VA. 

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For more information regarding CMMI, please contact us at ask_ssci@systemsandsoftware.org.