# Presentation: 137405

## The Ten Most Common Excuses for Not Engaging in Process Improvement - and What to do About It!

**Brian Groarke**
**SPAWAR Systems Center, San Diego (SSC San Diego)**
**Systems Engineering Process Office (SEPO)**
**November 8, 2005**

**Notes:**
Introduce myself and talk a little bit about my experience. Project manager, member of SEPG since 1994. Instructor, etc.

How many of you are in an SEPG?  For how long?

## Objectives of the Briefing

**Provide an overview of SSC San Diego and SEPO**
**Demonstrate the methods used to resist process improvement efforts through the use of skits**
**Demonstrate and discuss some of the methods and techniques that can be used to overcome resistance to process improvement**

## Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center San Diego (SSC San Diego)

**Mission: to be the Navy’s RDT&E, engineering and fleet support center for command and control, communications, ocean surveillance, and the integration of those systems which overarch multi-platforms**
**Vision:   to be the nation’s pre-eminent provider of integrated C4ISR solutions for warrior information dominance**
**~3,500 civilians, 70 military, and several thousand contractors**
**Actual funding for FY 05 was  ~$1.4 billion**
**Attained SW-CMM Level 3 in Oct 2000; Reassessed at Level 3 in Aug 2003**

**Notes:**

Explain what RDT&E  means

Explain what C4I means

## SSC San Diego Process  Improvement Organization

**Core**
**4 wkyrs**
**Full -Time**

**Contractors**
**4 wkyrs**
**Full & Part-Time**

**Systems Engineering Process Office**
**(SEPO)**

**Department**
**SPI Agents**
**7 wkyrs**
**Full & Part-Time**

**Funded by overhead**

## SEPO Products and Services

**Maintains SSC San Diego’s Process Asset Library (PAL): Comprehensive web page of process improvement material: at ****http://sepo.spawar.navy.mil/**
**Facilitates process improvement across all of SSC San Diego**
**Conducts training courses**
**Assists with internal appraisals on projects to determine best practices and areas for improvement**
**Maintains Software Community Alias:  Email alias with over 800 members for announcements, requests for assistance**
**Facilitates Systems Process Improvement Working Group (SPIWG):  periodic meetings, seminars, lectures, debates, demos about systems engineering and process improvement issues**
**Maintains SEPO Library: process improvement related books, guidelines, standards, products, processes, publications, proceedings, articles, videos**
**Performs Community Liaison: Interface with the process improvement community**** ****outside of SSC San Diego, both government and commercial**

## SSC San Diego Organizational PAL:http://sepo.spawar.navy.mil/

**Notes:**
Sound: drum roll.

This is the first page of our world-famous Home Page on which we publicly share all our organization’s process assets.  
= = = = = = = = =
Each of our Depts is also required to share their process assets with the others in the organization via a PAL.
Can also have PALs at Division and/or Project levels

## The Problem

**Many organizations are embracing the CMMI as a process improvement model.  However, they will face resistance to the implementation of these improvements.**
**The CMMI may be a new process improvement model, but the excuses for not engaging in process improvement are not new.**
**Those who have tried to implement process improvement in the past will be very familiar with the tried and true resistance techniques that will be discussed in this briefing.**

## Role Playing Skits

**Characters:**
**John Smedley, Project Manager for the Navy Advanced Integrated Vehicle System (NAÏVE), Lighthouse Corp.**
**Tom Ham, process improvement specialist, Lighthouse Corp.**
**Background:  Tom Ham has been asked by upper management to implement best practices in systems and software engineering on the NAÏVE project using the CMMI to ensure that the project is delivered on-time, within budget, and meets customer expectations**
**Scenario: Meeting between John Smedley and Tom Ham to discuss the implementation of best practices and process improvement on the NAÏVE project.  **
**Several short skits will be provided to illustrate the various resistance techniques**

## Top Excuses (1)

**I have no time for this, come back later**
**There is no better time than now to implement process improvement on your project.**
**Discuss the project and uncover project pain points.**
**I don’t believe in it (or don’t see the benefit)**
**Show ROI data for process improvement.**
**Have other project managers that have benefited from process improvement talk to the PM.**
**My customer is happy, I don’t need to change anything**
**Discuss the project and uncover project pain points.**
**Don’t you want to make your customer even happier?**
**(“Only a mediocre person is always at his best” **
**	****- William Somerset Maugham)**

## Top Excuses  (2)

**It’s a fad, just like TQL**
**Show industry adoption data for the CMM/CMMI.**
**CMM has been around since the early 1990’s - is that a fad?**
**It costs too much**
**Show ROI data**
**Have you tried this before?  If so, show me your cost data.**
**It costs too much NOT to do this!**
**It doesn’t apply to my project (or we’re different)**
**Have the PM describe the project and how it is managed.  Then identify opportunities where process improvement would help.**
**My customer/sponsor won’t pay for it**
**Customer shouldn’t have to pay for it.**
**Best practices are the things you should be doing anyway.**

## Top Excuses  (3)

**It’s extra work (or we have REAL work to do)**
**Have the PM describe how the project is run.**
**Discuss how implementing best practices is the REAL work.**
**We’re already doing it**
**Great!  Let’s perform an appraisal, so that we can identify the best practices that other projects can benefit from.  You can serve as a model for the whole organization!**
**My project is in maintenance (or it’s going away in a few years)**
**Discuss how process improvement can benefit projects in the short term.**
**There are process improvements that have almost immediate benefits to the project, such as peer reviews.**

## Other Ingredients Needed to Overcome Resistance

**Management Support Involvement**
**Management must fully support the process improvement efforts.**
**They must actively participate in the process improvement efforts.**
**As a last resort, you must be able to enlist the support of management in order to overcome resistance.**
**Tie process improvement efforts to organizational business goals and project goals**
**In order to answer the “what’s in it for me” question, you must be able to tie the process improvement efforts to the goals of the project and the organization.**
**Patience**
**Never give up or give in!  Process improvement is a journey with many bumps in the road, sometimes it is time and patience that are needed to overcome resistance.**

## Summary

**Resistance to process improvement is as old as process improvement itself.**
**The models may have changed, but the excuses have not.**
**Be patient - remember - resistance is futile!**

## Brian GroarkeSSC San DiegoE-mail: “brian.groarke@navy.mil”
http://sepo.spawar.navy.milPhone:(619)553-6248

**http://sepo.spawar.navy.mil****Phone:(619)553-6248**

## Acronyms

**C4ISR: Command, Control, Communication, and Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance**
**CMMI: Capability Maturity Model Integration**
**RDT&E: Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation**
**ROI: Return on Investment**
**SEPO:  Systems Engineering Process Office**
**SPIWG: Systems Process Improvement Working Group**
**SSC San Diego: Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, San Diego**
**TQL: Total Quality Leadership**