Mark Rabideau (L)
Judah Mogilensky (R)

SEI Partners Acknowledged for their Years of Service

The SEI Partner Network hosted its annual meeting and luncheon in Portland Oregon last week. During a luncheon on Wednesday 23 March 2011, SEI Partner Network Manager Lisa Masciantonio and SEI Director and CEO Paul D. Nielsen acknowledged SEI Partners for their service and commitment.

During this luncheon, the SEI recognized PEP for having been an SEI Partner since ‘the beginning’. Partner tracking and the Partner name were established by the SEI 15 years ago.

Note: In the spirit of full disclosure, PEP has actually been working with the SEI and SEI related products since before 1992.

Given that CMMI high maturity level and six sigma organizations typically use statistics packages in assisting them to manage and adjust business trends and flows, I thought our readership might find these links to open source stats packages to be of interest.

N.B.: Minitab and SPSS, perhaps the pre-eminent software packages in this arena, are both highly functional, broadly used and extremely expensive; both are also biased to the windows operating system (something I try not to use).

Hopefully, these packages provide a somewhat helpful listing of options.

If you are aware of other tools or toolkits that should be added to this little list or if you have any queries or concerns, please use our contact page to let me know.

In addition both Judah and his partner Mark Rabideau are authorized to teach the one-day CMMI for Services supplement intended for people who are interested in the Services model and who have already completed the Introduction to CMMI for Development course. PEP partners are also certified as High Maturity SCAMPI Lead Appraisers for both the Development and Services models.

Recently, the SEI released a new version of the CMMI model, CMMI for Services.  This model is based on the same concepts and principles as the original CMMI for Development model, but its focus and emphasis is on service delivery organizations.  Service organizations in such diverse fields as education, health care, telecommunications, and hospitality have begun using CMMI for Services as their standard and framework for process improvement and organizational performance.  Built on more than 20 years of success and experience, the new release of the CMMI model is especially valuable for organizations that are already using the original CMMI model in their development work, but that have been looking for a suitable way to apply the model to the service-oriented parts of their business, such as installation and field support, training, and Information Technology (IT) services.

PEP, Inc. is pleased to announce that it is among the first organizations certified by the SEI to teach the new 3-day Introduction to CMMI for Services course. In addition, also is authorized to teach the one-day CMMI for Services supplement intended for people who are interested in the Services model and who have already completed the Introduction to CMMI for Development course.  PEP partners are also certified as High Maturity SCAMPI Lead Appraisers for both the Development and Services models.

Assessment Signifies Engineering and Project Management Excellence

Hunt Valley, Md. – January 20, 2010 — AAI Corporation, an operating unit of Textron Systems, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced today that the company has been appraised to Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI®) Level 3. Covering systems engineering and project management functions within AAI’s Hunt Valley, Md., Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Test & Training Systems and Advanced Systems organizations, the successful December 2009 assessment was led by Mark Rabideau, a licensed lead assessor and Six Sigma master black belt from Process Enhancement Partners, Inc. appraisal to CMMI Level 3 is an explicit requirement in many U.S. military development solicitations.

The CMMI five-level model was developed by the Software Engineering Institute, a federally funded research and development center principally funded by the U.S. Department of Defense. Within the internationally recognized five-level guide to process improvement, Level 3 is titled “Defined,” which means that processes are proactive and tailored for the organization. Level 3 organizations such as AAI can configure and deploy processes to meet the unique circumstances of each development effort, then share best practices and data across the organization for continuous improvement.

AAI previously secured and maintains a CMMI Level 5 assessment for its systems software function. CMMI Level 5 is titled “ Optimizing,” and is an indication that the organization is focused on data-driven process improvement.

“At AAI, we have a culture of continuous improvement, grounded in the fact that the smarter and more efficiently we work, the faster we can make our products and services available to the troops that need them,” says Senior Vice President and General Manager Ellen Lord. “AAI’s achievement of CMMI Level 3 in program management and systems engineering, along with reappraisal of the software function at Level 5, highlight our ability to be both agile and competent in the application of engineering and management to development and integration of systems.”

About AAI

AAI Corporation and its indirect wholly owned subsidiaries Aerosonde Pty Ltd and ESL Defence Limited design, produce and support industry-leading aerospace and defense products and services, including unmanned aircraft and ground control technologies; high-fidelity training and simulation systems; automated aerospace test and maintenance equipment; armament systems; and logistical, engineering, supply chain and operational support services. AAI Corporation is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Textron Inc. More information is available at www.aaicorp.com.

About Textron Systems

Textron Systems Corporation has been providing innovative solutions to the defense, homeland security and aerospace communities for more than 50 years. Known for its unmanned aircraft systems, advanced marine craft, armored vehicles, intelligent battlefield and surveillance systems, intelligence software solutions, precision smart weapons, piston engines, test and training systems, and total life cycle sustainment services, Textron Systems includes AAI Corporation, Lycoming Engines, Overwatch, Textron Defense Systems and Textron Marine & Land Systems. Textron Systems Corporation is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Textron Inc. More information is available at www.textronsystems.com.

About Textron Inc.

Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, and Textron Systems. More information is available at www.textron.com.

PEP Logo

The logo itself is copyright Process Enhancement Partners, Inc. and registered via Registered Commons.

We hope you find the presentation informative.

Should you wish to explore the applicability of CMMI-SVC to your organization further, please contact PEP directly.

Effective 11/17/08, the SEI announced that they are performing audits of all CMMI High Maturity appraisals. They also announced and published the criteria being used for the High Maturity Audits. They note that the criteria in no way limit the application of the model or its intent or judgments made during an appraisal, nor do they relieve the organization from fully implementing the model.

Click this link if you wish to read the full announcement and view the criteria themselves.

SEI-Certified SCAMPI Lead Appraisers for Services can use the SCAMPI appraisal materials, including appraisal team training materials, only to train appraisal teams and to lead appraisals on behalf of an SEI CMMI for Services Partner. SEI-Certified SCAMPI Lead Appraisers cannot use the materials to conduct appraisals independently or on behalf of organizations that are not licensed by CMU/SEI to conduct CMMI for Services appraisals. SEI-Authorized SCAMPI Lead Appraisers using CMMI for Services are not authorized to complete a SCAMPI A appraisal until 6 months after the release of the CMMI-Services Model.

As for the Services Supplement offering the SEI states:

This one-day course introduces service providers, appraisal team members, and process group members to CMMI® fundamental concepts related to service delivery. The CMMI for Services (CMMI-SVC) model defines effective practices that ensure quality services are delivered to customers and end users. Some types of services that would benefit from using CMMI-SVC include operations, logistics, maintenance, IT, and many other services in other government and industry.

Judah Mogilensky of Process Enhancement Partners, led an interactive afternoon mini-tutorial about using organizational maps and sculpts to learn why a process program is stuck.

He led attendees in a hands-on exercise on how to draw visual organizational maps to answer a question about their organization. A visual representation enabled attendees to see organizational challenges and opportunities in ways they otherwise wouldn’t. A sculpt, which is physically putting people into the roles symbolized in the map, allowed attendees to ask the people how it feels to be in those roles.