# Presentation: 378434

## Everyone’s Role – including yours – in Process Improvement

**Everyone’s Role – including yours – in Process Improvement**

**by Cynthia Wise**

## IDEALSM: Process Improvement Life Cycle

*Figure used with permission of the *
*Software Engineering Institute. **IDEAL is a service mark of Carnegie Mellon University.*

- Systematic, evolutionary approach
- Essential strategy steps
- Abstract model

## Add People: Human Context for PI

- Project A

- Project B

**Implement** **Action Plan**

**Initiate** Process
- Improvement

**Agree **on
- Process Issues

**Establish**
- Action Plan,
- Process Action Team

**Leverage** on and
- Reuse Lessons
- Learned

**Software**
**  ****Managers**

**Technical**
**   ****Staff**

**Action**
**   ****Teams**

**SEPG**

**Working**
**   ****Group**

**Senior**
**   ****Manager**

**Senior**
**   ****Management**

**Business**
**  ****Goals**

**Notes:**
Your two constituencies:
- senior manager
- workforce (projects)
Must put IDEAL in context of real organizations - with people.
Life cycle  of a strange, new (to most / all orgs. starting PI) kind of project.
One that crosses all kinds of traditional org. boundaries.
SEPG is off to southeast corner.  But must orchestrate all phases, all steps, all the time.
You have 2 constituencies:
- senior management
- projects 
in other words: everybody.

## Role of Senior Management	

**Clearly articulate the contribution of PI to meeting business goals and objectives**
**Without understanding the benefit (less rework), you will focus on the cost**
**If your only goal is to achieve a level, risk is paper improvement, not real improvement**
**Fund the PI program**
**Provide resources for PI**
**Use a combination of full-time (SEPG) and part-time (working groups) resources **
**Provide guidance on who and where and recruit the best people**
**Recognize it will be a constant challenge to share resources with projects**

## Role of Senior Management

**Recognize and reward PI efforts and accomplishments**
**Include contributions to PI as part of annual performance review system**
**Stress importance of PI and cascading sponsorship **
**Ensure “defacto reward structure” encourages involvement in PI**
**Provide continuous monitoring of PI progress & efforts**
**Establish and participate on steering committee**
**Meet regularly to review progress **
**Provide guidance and direction and remove obstacles**
**Assist with balancing project/PI goals**

## Role of Senior Management

**Support projects in negotiating requirements changes and schedule commitments**
**Don’t just accept whatever the customer wants but assess first the **
**feasibility of satisfying the customer **
**capability of the organization to meet the customer’s needs**
**Demonstrate your commitment to quality by openly supporting SQA (quality) over development (schedule) when appropriate**
**Discuss process status, not just project status with project management**
**Follow the process - don’t expect special treatment**

## Role of Middle Management

**Participate on the steering committee**
**Sponsor and chair improvement teams**
**Provide advice to teams so they don’t spin their wheels coming up with the “perfect process”**
**Manage resources, recast schedules and free- up engineers to participate in PI**
**Assign valuable project team members to work on improvement projects**
**If you ask “when” something will be done, expect your team members to take time to plan before making a commitment**

*** ****(Leonard-Barton, 1987, “Implementing Structured Software Methodologies:  **
**    ****A Case of Innovation in Process Technology, “ Interfaces) **

*Middle management is the gatekeeper for process improvement*
* **and can either sponsor the effort or impede its success **

## Role of Middle Management

**Review process status as well as project status**
**Expect progress reports on PI projects from your team**
**Solicit feedback on processes already implemented**
**Encourage improvement suggestions**
**Submit change requests to the SEPG**
**Encourage, reward, and recognize PI accomplishments**
**Publicly and privately support the PI efforts**
**Be able to explain why the improvement is being done and how your staff will be affected**
**Help to get the customer/user on board with PI**

## Role of the Software Developer	

**Chances are your project team and management have different views of the lifecycle steps actually followed.**
**Participate with your project team to describe the actual process - How is it really done?**
**Identify where the bottlenecks are - what could improve your ability to produce quality products?**
**Volunteer and participate in working groups**
**Review outputs - don’t just rubber-stamp them**
**Provide feedback on what to improve and submit change requests for processes already defined**

## Role of the Software Developer

**Make sure you understand how the process change will fix problems or improve work practices**
**Attend (or give) training**
**Ask your management or the SEPG**
**Be willing to share good results from PI with other project teams**
**Even if you are unsure about management commitment to PI - don’t give up**
**Find a champion for improvements you believe in**
**Begin with processes you can impact**

## Role of the User/Customer

**Recognize that PI is being undertaken to improve software’s ability to deliver the product to you**
**Understand what improvements are being made and why**
**Attend training with the project team**
**Your role in the success of the product flow is crucial**
**Be willing to work together with the project team to define the current product flow**
**Without all of the stakeholders, there is only a partial picture**
**Identify the bottlenecks and arrive at potential solutions**
**Encourage and support solutions that bring the stakeholders together (e.g., JAD, etc.)**

## Role of the User/Customer

**Give a new or enhanced process a chance**
**Follow the process**
**Provide feedback to the project team or the SEPG if it’s not working**
**If everything is an emergency, nothing is**
**Don’t expect a shortcut**
**Expect the project team to meet their commitments to you and do the same for the project team**
**E.g., complete testing and provide results when promised, etc.**

## Organizing for PI

**The PI team is another view  of the regular organization **

**Senior **
**Manager**

**Middle **
**Managers**

**Project **
**Managers**

**Project A**

**Project **
**Engineers**

**Project B**

**Project **
**Engineers**

**Project C **

**Project **
**Engineers**

## Add People: Human Context for PI

**Notes:**
Your two constituencies:
- senior manager
- workforce (projects)
Must put IDEAL in context of real organizations - with people.
Life cycle  of a strange, new (to most / all orgs. starting PI) kind of project.
One that crosses all kinds of traditional org. boundaries.
SEPG is off to southeast corner.  But must orchestrate all phases, all steps, all the time.
You have 2 constituencies:
- senior management
- projects 
in other words: everybody.

## Role of the SEPG

**Remember the goal of PI is to remove process bottlenecks and improve work practices**
**Maturity levels are benchmarks, not the goal**
**Don’t get caught in the checklist approach to CMM®**
***First***** define what is currently done, *****then***** try to improve it - don’t go straight to the ‘perfect’ process**
**Brainstorm the product flow with your constituents**
**Help them identify the bottlenecks**
**Work together to arrive at potential solutions**
**Use the CMM as a guide**
**try to use company best practices, don’t reinvent the wheel**

**Consult the **
**model**

## Role of the SEPG

**Be strategic - Aim for management to demand your services, not to resist your changes**
**Spend time listening, especially to middle management**
**Resist the temptation to just work with the developers**
**Much of your job will be non-technical**
**Communicating, communicating, communicating**
**Take every opportunity to “be in front” of your constituents**
**Make sure your constituents know the plans**
**Start the boundary-crossing necessary for PI**
**Work to get the visible management commitment**

**SEPG**

## Role of the SEPG

**Use the improvement effort to model higher maturity behavior for the organization**
**Develop estimates and PI plans and monitor progress**
**Have a clearly defined change process for process artifacts**
**Have reviews of process artifacts to get buy-in and improve quality**
**Establish measures to make the investment connection for your constituents**
**Qualitative data on benefits - testimonials from satisfied customers**
**PI => re-work avoided** **=> ROI**

## In Summary ...

***Everyone has a part in making Process Improvement a success!***
**We hope you are able to use these insights in your organization.**
**Good luck and thanks for attending.**

**Sources**
**Cynthia Wise, “Senior Management Actions Critical for Successful Software**
**Process Improvement,” *****Proceedings*****, 7th annual STC, Salt Lake City, Utah, April,1995.**
**Kenneth Dymond, “Tips for Starters: Strategy for the New SEPG,”Software **
**Engineering Process Group Conference, Feb. 2002,Phoenix, Arizona.**

**Cynthia Wise**
**Process Transition International, Inc.**
**     ****tel. 724-935-3507****	**
**web: www.processtransition.com**
**e-mail: cwise@processtransition.com**