SOME REALLY BAD REASONS ORGANIZATIONS ACQUIRE PROCESS EXPERTISE OR TOOLS

Consultancy is very big business. Natural SPI s clients have spent anywhere from 5 to 20 percent of their entire budget allocated to CMMI-based process improvement and I m sure they got every penny s worth! Chances are pretty good that someone in your organization will also have the idea to buy some outside expertise or tool to help with the CMMI effort. There are some really good and really bad reasons for outsourcing some aspects of the organization s process improvement work; let s start with the bad reasons.

Bad Process Acquisition Reason 1: They Had a Cool Booth at the SEPG ^SM Conference

Well, okay, so they had a cool booth and they gave away some cool prizes or they engineered a very impressive product demo. Their full- color brochure is slick, their Web site incorporates all the latest Web technology, and they wear nice suits . Maybe everyone recognizes the company name or logo. And all of that has what to do with CMMI-based process improvement?

I remember attending a presentation at SEPG 2003 delivered by a vice president from one of the biggest names in management consulting. They were one of the conference anchors and had provided a keynote speaker. In the presentation, she boasted about how people in her organization worked nights and weekends to achieve their CMMI Level 3 target. Now wait a minute, let me get this straight, an accolade about process improvement being achieved through the heroics of individuals? Does anyone other than me see something wrong there?

If you choose a consulting firm or a tool vendor, just make sure your decision is based on actual performance data or experiential information, not solely on name or reputation.

Bad Process Acquisition Reason 2: They Guarantee Your Organization Will Be Certified at CMM/CMMI Level in X Months

There are lots of problems here. Let s start with the simple, provable fact that there s no such thing as maturity level certification. (Read Chapter 8 ” Process Improvement Myths and Methodologies.) If someone is promising that, how well do they really know this business? Let s go a little deeper. Even if the consulting services or tool could ensure your organization achieves a CMM or CMMI maturity level within a certain time frame, is that the same as a guarantee that your organization will actually improve its overall systems engineering and delivery performance? You don t have to choose between getting a maturity level and achieving measurable improvement, but you do need to realize that the two are not always the same thing. Read the fine print or the lack thereof.

Bad Process Acquisition Reason 3: They re Great Golfing Partners

Or bowling buddies , or drinking pals, or whatever. There is a certain segment of the population for whom relationships are everything and facts such as actual performance don t even figure into decisions. I once had a boss who would come to my cube and, with great exuberance, announce to me a new member to the group . The conversations went something like this:

BOSS: Hey, Michael, I just hired so-and-so to help out with your process improvement project!

ME: That s great! What does he do?

BOSS: Oh, he s a really great guy; you ll like him.

ME: Okay, good. What kind of experience does he have?

BOSS: He s really good gets along with everybody.

ME: What are his skills?

BOSS: Okay, so teach him what you need him to do; he ll be great.

ME: Sigh!

Deals, sometimes big deals such as consulting agreements or the purchase of a several hundred thousand dollar tool, will be made almost solely on the basis of a personal relationship. Sometimes, through pure dumb luck, such deals work out. Most of the time they don t because they re not based on the factual needs of the organization or on the vendor s historically demonstrated ability to deliver.

Bad Process Acquisition Reason 4: They re Cheap

Cost is always a factor in acquisition or procurement decisions; it should be. However, if cost is the only vendor or consultant selection criteria, then by the definition of goal and requirements traceability, the organization does not have any goals for quality, schedule, or approach.

Bad Process Acquisition Reason 5: They Used to Work at ___________

You fill in the blank: SEI, IBM, Hill Air Force Base, Loral, the Software Productivity Consortium, Space Shuttle software, etc. Yes, there are organizations in the world that have been centers for brilliance, excellence, and innovation in process improvement and CMM and CMMI implementation. But as the stories grow older, they grow bolder, and now the legends are larger than the current-day reality.

The lesson is that good consultants can come from anywhere. They don t have to come from a place you recognize from the urban myths of process improvement to have good ideas and good experience which can help your organization. Just because a consultant or a tool vendor does come from a place of process legend doesn t mean that your organization will get what it needs and wants. Make sure the people in your organization who are responsible for making decisions about process consulting or tools can distinguish between reputation and demonstrable performance.