Twin Cities Quality Assurance Association   (TCQAA)

 Located in the metropolitan area of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota,
 TCQAA has been supporting software organizations and information technology professionals since 1986.
 The TCQAA vision is to disseminate and promote quality assurance concepts, principles and practices in information technology across all industries.


TCQAA home
About Us
Events Schedule
Membership
Job Fair
Forums
Affiliations
Archive
Contact Us
Quality Links
Downloads
Certification
Members Only
Email List Sign-up Officers Only

           

   Program for Thursday May 13, 2004


Speaker: Pat O’Toole

Title: What’s RIGHT with the CMMI?

Time:

Location:

3:15 - 3:30 PM - Registration
3:30 - 5:00 PM - General Meeting
Clarion Hotel;  8151 Bridge Rd; Bloomington MN 55437-1133        

 map


ABOUT THE SPEAKERS AND PRESENTATION:

Abstract:

A lot of folks are berating the CMMI as evil - it’s way too big, it’s way too prescriptive, and it’s way too much systems engineering!  It’s a model designed by committee without significant software community input and it’s only beneficial to groups that do embedded systems…

Well folks, the SEI has made it abundantly clear that the CMM sun is hanging low in the western sky, and that last November’s spectacular meteor shower was really little pieces of the CMM v3.0 burning up in the earth’s atmosphere.  The CMMI is their rising star and it’s going to get a whole lot brighter after sunset.

This presentation will provide a high-level overview of the new model, primarily focusing on what’s RIGHT with the CMMI.  Participants will learn about the model’s dual representation – staged and continuous – and will understand how they can use the benefits of both to their best advantage.  They will learn about specific vs. generic practices, base vs. advanced practices, and will become world-class experts in the concept of “equivalent staging.”

There are lots of things wrong with the CMMI, and lots of folks who are willing to tell you ALL about them.  This presentation is going to emphasize the positive aspects of the model, and help you understand how to make the transition from our beloved CMM as painlessly as possible.

Bio:

Pat O’Toole is a Principal Consultant at Process Assessment, Consulting & Training (PACT) where he provides a variety of services to his process improvement clients.  Pat is one of the most active SEI authorized CBA IPI and SCAMPI lead assessors, and has led assessments spanning all maturity levels, including the largest and most complex Level 5 assessment conducted to date.  He is a candidate lead assessor for the People-CMM, and is an SEI transition partner for the Introduction to CMMI course.

With over 20 years of software development, project management, and consulting experience, Pat works with all levels of management, (S)EPGs, and Process Action Teams in establishing, evaluating, and sustaining their process improvement initiatives.  He is a popular instructor who supplements standard training material with a vast array of case studies and humorous examples.