No one can argue with the goals of process improvement – effective, repeatable, measurable processes that keep improving over time and making "better, faster, cheaper" a reality. Nor can anyone argue with many of the common-sense tenets of today's agile development methods. However, the misconceptions surrounding capability maturity models and agile development and the common abuses of their implementation cause many to discount one or the other. Even many who see value in both view them as conflicting and would not consider trying to do both at the same time.

We are proud to offer this special complimentary white paper co-authored by CMMI Software Engineering Institute (SEI) – affiliated experts and Agile Development Methods (ADM) experts. The premise of this white paper is not only that both have value, but that there is a way to employ both such that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

An_Agile_Approach_to_Achieving_CMMI.pdf (463 KB)

"If you aren't managing risk, you aren't managing!" So proclaimed the Airlie Council – a group of the nation's most distinguished Software Engineering experts – in decreeing risk management as the most important practice of all the Nine Principal Software Best Practices they identified.

If you have an interest in learning more about software risks and how to better manage them, then you should download this white paper written by John Manzo. In addition to being a charter member of the Airlie Council, John has been credited with successfully managing the development of the core software for the award-winning AEGIS Combat System – still to this day one of the most complex software-based systems ever delivered to the DOD.

Can_Agile_Methods_Remedy_Software_Risks.pdf (479 KB)

One of the most difficult aspects of planning any software development project is the estimation of the time it will take to conduct the project and the effort (staff-hours/dollars) it will consume. Studies continue to show that most software estimates are highly over optimistic. Since estimates at the beginning of the project drive schedules, resources and other critical project-planning components, an incorrect estimate can have severe negative consequences on the outcome of even the most well-managed projects.

By combining an empirically driven approach to software estimation based on industry data, with a time-honored approach to forecasting, this paper describes a battle-tested methodology for generating estimates, which with experience typically yield results that are accurate to a level of 85% or more.

STE_Delphi_White_Paper.pdf (436 KB)

As software projects become more complex, with tighter budgets and extreme time-to-market pressures, it doesn't take much to turn a project into a runaway.

Once a project displays symptoms of derailment, it requires specific management techniques to get back on course. This paper defines what these techniques are and suggests alternative methods to manage project turnarounds.

Reining_in_Runaways.pdf (1453 KB)