Quality | Software Excellence Alliance

Team Process Integration: Half-Day Course

Learning Materials, Past Presentation

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Abstract:

This half-day course covers all aspects of the Team Process Integration (TPI) framework. The TPI methodology integrates disciplined project practices that can be applied by many product teams (e.g., software, systems, and test). It is a framework that provides fundamental engineering processes for the following areas: planning, tracking, quality, measurement and metrics, as well as communicating team status. The TPI method is used at the project level and is applied by individual members of a team to guide daily work.

This course includes the following topics (each individually available on YouTube):

About the Presenters

Dr. Brad Hodgins is a computer scientist and has been supporting Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) for 36 years. He has over 20 years of experience in developing simulation and avionics software. He has spent the last 16 years as a project planning and tracking coach and instructor for the Performance Resource Team (PRT), actively coaching project teams in the development of high-quality products for on-time, on-budget delivery to the fleet.

Brad views the SEA as an incredible venue to share best practices for planning and tracking software projects and to brainstorm solutions to problems currently affecting the Software Community. He is currently serving as the SEA Membership Coordinator and a member of the SEA Executive Team; he is also a member of the Next-Gen Tooling standing committee.

Jeff Schwalb is a computer scientist and has been supporting Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) since 1984. He has over 20 years of experience developing and acquiring real-time embedded software systems for avionics, weapons, and range instrumentation systems. He also began collaborating with the Software Engineering Institute (SEI), learning and applying CMM key practices, becoming a certified Personal Software Process℠ (PSP℠) instructor and then a certified Team Software Process℠ (TSP℠) coach. Over the last 25 years, he has taught and consulted with hundreds of scientists and engineers in various forms of personal engineering processes and has coached dozens of projects in the launch and operations of team project planning and tracking.

In 2017, Jeff connected with the SEI on the establishment of the organization we know today as the Software Excellence Alliance (SEA). Today, Jeff continues to work within the SEA to identify and establish pragmatic, value-added solutions to problems currently affecting the software community. He is currently serving as a member of the SEA Executive Team and as a supporting member of SEA working groups in areas such as Membership, Agile Community Networking, and Knowledge Transfer.

David Saint-Amand is a Performance improvement coach with the Process Resource Team of the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR). His previous positions include DCS Corporation Section Manager, Naval Operations Research Analyst, Engineering Geologist, and Seismic Safety Consultant.

He holds a B.A. in Geology from the University of California at Santa Barbara with a secondary emphasis in Computer Science. He is a Defense Acquisition University Certified Level III Life Cycle Logistician, a Software Engineering Institute (SEI) Certified Personal Software Process (PSP) Developer, an SEI-Authorized PSP Instructor, and a NAVAIR Internal Team Software Process Coach.

Kristianne Aberer has been working for the Performance Resource Team (PRT) of the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) as a Performance Improvement Coach for the past 3 years. She has helped multiple engineering project teams to plan and track their work so they could deliver high-quality products on cost and on schedule while maintaining a healthy work/life balance. Her previous positions include Electronics Design Engineer, Flight Test Engineer, and Stay-At-Home-Parent. Kristianne holds a B.S. in Mechatronic Engineering from California State University, Chico. Kristianne grew up being very involved in youth sports and had many wonderful coaches. She enjoys paying it forward by coaching youth soccer teams, teaching physical education at a small Montessori school, and coaching elementary students in track and field.

Rules and Submissions for the Watts Humphrey Process Achievement Award

Past Presentation

The August 2022 tech talk was presented by Isabel Margarido.

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Abstract

Watts Humphrey was a practitioner and advocate of Software Engineering good practices, also known as the “Father of Software Quality”. His work “laid ground for” CMM, CMMI and he proved the entire practices through PSP and TSP. In this talk, I will give an overview of the IEEE Computer Society/SEI Watts S. Humphrey Software Process Achievement Award, along with the criteria for you, your workgroup, or your company to submit an application for this award in 2023. Since the submission and selection criteria are rigorous, the application process for people who implement process improvements that are a great benefit to others (their department, other business areas or companies) does require preparation and data gathering. As a member of the voting committee, my intent in this presentation is to help you to better understand the award nomination procedures and to entice you to apply or to nominate people/groups of people that you know are eligible to win this year’s award. Last but not least, I will also present a previous award winner to give you a better picture.

About the Presenter

Isabel Margarido

Isabel Margarido has over 20 years of experience in systems engineering. Since April, she is Key Account Manager at Capgemini Engineering, where she is responsible for many accounts, including one with representation in 190 countries and is in the top 3 in the field of its competitors. Before that, Isabel was Senior Project Manager at Sonae, one of the biggest retail companies in Portugal. At Critical Software (CSW), Isabel worked as Programme Manager in the UK and Product Manager in a USA company that had customers such as YUM! Brand Foods (KFC, Pizza Hut, and Burger King). During that period, she helped Mindera start its business since the very start. Isabel’s other accomplishments at CSW include working as a project manager, Scrum Master, quality manager, founder of the testing department, and serving on the appraisal team that helped CSW to achieve CMMI ML5, making CSW the first company in Portugal to receive that certification. She started her professional career as Quality Manager at Milénio 3.

Isabel holds a PhD in Informatics Engineering, regarding quantitative process improvements and quantitative project management, and is an Electronics and Computers Engineer. Both of her degrees were awarded by the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto.

Quality’s Conceptual System: Fundamental Elements of the Creative Process

Past Presentation

The January 2021 tech talk was presented by Victor Elias

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Abstract:

If you’ve ever grappled with the challenge of innovating to create quality excellence in your creative work, today’s presentation may provide just the insight you were looking for. Based on over a decade of research, Mr. Elias will present and demonstrate philosophy, principles, definitions, relationships, and easy-to-use practices for quality improvement. The presentation’s goal is to introduce the conceptual tools, or quality mindset, to help you communicate better and to more confidently create products and services that are desirable to customers. Key topics include strategy, quality, and risk. Case examples will be presented or discussed as time permits.

About the Presenter

VIctor Elias

Mr. Victor Elias is a Process Assurance Representative serving the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (CDCC) Armaments Center’s Fire Control Systems and Technology Directorate (FCSTD). Mr. Elias helped the Paladin Howitzer program bring over a dozen projects to CMMI Maturity Level 5. With the FCSTD, Mr. Elias is a winner of the 2018 IEEE CS/SEI Watts S. Humphrey Software Process Achievement Award. Mr. Elias is also the winner of the 2020 American Society for Quality (ASQ) Dorian Shainin Medal for his introduction of innovative process technology to the Army and for research published in his book The Quest for Ascendant Quality. Mr. Elias served in Quality Mgmt. and engineering roles in industry for more than 20 years. Mr. Elias earned his M.S. in Quantitative Business Methods at California State University, East Bay.

Results of Applying Methods for Software Excellence – The Long View

Past Presentation

The June 2020 Tech Talk was presented by Stephen Shook

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Abstract:

Today’s software industry could be characterized as one where software organizations come and go, technology workers change employers every few years, and corporate initiatives are transient. By contrast, the Advanced Information Services Division of Ishpi Information Technologies (ISHPI) has sustained its software process improvement effort for nearly three decades. During that time, the organization received the IEEE/SEI Software Process Achievement Award, received the Government Information Security Leadership Award (GISLA) for secure software life cycle practices, and has been appraised at CMMI-DEV Maturity Level 5 repeatedly over the last 10 years. By maintaining a constancy of purpose, focus on quality and security, and dedication to excellence, ISHPI projects consistently produce extraordinary results. ISHPI will present its results, insights, and perspectives on enduring methods and principles – over the long view.

About the Presenter

Stephen Shook, Director of Software Engineering and Quality, brings more than 25 years of experience in senior management, business development, development management, project management, software engineering, and implementing Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI). He is one of the principal architects of ISHPI’s award-winning Agile High Velocity Development℠ software development methodology. As an experienced instructor, coach, consultant, and subject matter expert, he leads and mentors software teams to achieve exceptional cost, schedule, and quality performance in order to achieve customer business goals. Stephen has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Mathematics from the University of Illinois.