If this is maturity, count this person out

Dear Bob ...Responding to this week's Keep the Joint Running, "Capability Maturity Model revisited," 2/18/2008), perhaps I am being pessimistic. But when I start hearing things like "process acculturation" and "fundamental shift in expectation and experience", my BS alarm starts going off.I do not know much about this CMMI entity, but based on your interview, I do not think that I want to know more.- SkepticDear

Dear Bob ...

Responding to this week's Keep the Joint Running, "Capability Maturity Model revisited," 2/18/2008), perhaps I am being pessimistic. But when I start hearing things like "process acculturation" and "fundamental shift in expectation and experience", my BS alarm starts going off.

I do not know much about this CMMI entity, but based on your interview, I do not think that I want to know more.

- Skeptic

Dear Skeptic ...

I don't know for sure. I suspect that this, along with a lot of other areas of consulting practice, blows up simple ideas into seemingly complex challenges.

I just went through this with a client who had concerns about too intense a focus on process design, optimization and management. Once we agreed that "process" really didn't mean anything more than "how we get the work done," he relaxed and we were able to make progress.

CMMI, at its heart, seems to me to be little more than a way to focus everyone's attention on achieving consistency and working to constantly find and institutionalize improved ways of doing things.

Everything else is technique. I just don't know how complicated it has to be. I suspect the answer to that is, in small organizations it's too simple to require a methodology. In large organizations, on the other hand, it's terribly difficult.

- Bob