Why Can't Johnny Improve?

Copyright 2005 Northrop Grumman Corporation
Why Can’t
Johnny Improve?
Software Engineering Process Group Conference
26-29 March 2007
Rick Hefner, Ph.D.
Director, Process Management
Northrop Grumman Corporation

Copyright 2005 Northrop Grumman CorporationRick Hefner, "Why Can’t Johnny Improve", 2007 SEPG
Background
Why doesn’t process improvement work?
 Many organizations struggle with implementing process
improvement
 Although the organization “goes through the motions”, there is
no visible progress, or simply rote adherence to process, not an
embracing of mature practices
 This presentation will examine the principles behind process
improvement, as they relate to attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors
about CMMI
 It focuses on the primary reasons why projects and organizations
fail to adopt CMMI practices, and suggests ways to overcome
them

Topics
 Why People Resist Change
 Creatures of habit
 Fear of failure
 Overloaded and overwhelmed
 Believe the old way is better
 Effective Strategies for Addressing Resistance
 The Role of the Change Agent
 The Role of Management
 Key Messages that Must be Communicated

Creatures of Habit
 We are emotionally wired to be
comfortable with our habits
 We have emotional connections to those
who taught us the old way
 Change gives a sense of betrayal
Effective Strategies
 In your change messages, honor the work and contributions of
those who brought such success to the organization in the past
 Recognize that people change at different rates
 Craft different messages and incentives for each

Resistance to Change
 Early adopters are motivated by perceived benefits
 Late adopters are motivated by avoiding pain

Key Messages that Must be
Communicated
 CMMI is a a set of proven, industry
best-practices
 Adoption is about learning how to apply
these practices to our work
 The practices may feel awkward and have
limited value until we learn them
 It’s OK to make mistakes – we will get better over time
 CMMI involves short-term investment for long-term gain
 Achieving and maintaining mature processes
is essential to meeting our business goals
 CMMI is an enabler (not a guarantee) of project success
 Other aspects (people, technology, customer relationship, etc.) are
equally important
 The value is often risk reduction (which may be difficult to measure)
 When the entire organization is behaving maturely, everyone’s job
becomes easier
 Continuous improvement is a way of life

Fear of Failure
 The risk of change may be seen as greater
than the risk of standing still
 Making a change requires a leap of faith
 The perceived loss of personal power
 I’m seen as competent now, but in a new culture…
 Clearly describe why the risk situation favors change
 Business goals, WIIFM
 Engage the rational mind first (the emotional mind will follow)
 Make it clear initial mistakes are expected and will be tolerated
 Create forums for asking and answering questions
 Show people how they can be effective in the changed
environment

Overloaded and Overwhelmed
 Practitioners may feel they don’t have time
to learn new ideas
 Practitioners may need role models
for the new activity
 Most change agents don’t need role models,
because they easily imagine new situations
 Ensure practitioners have adequate resources
during the learning curve
 CMMI practices reduce costs in the long run – short term
investment for long term gain
 Search out and publicize good examples and successes
 Set up pilot programs that model the change
 Encourage the next step in the change process
 Ensure management takes accountability for action
 Must change short term priorities to achieve long term results

Accountability
 Adopting and sustaining CMMI is about
each practitioner learning and
performing the new behaviors
 The role of management in cultural change
is to hold people accountable for the new
behaviors and conduct
 Change agents can enable management by:
 Helping them have a clear vision of the new culture
 Identifying inappropriate behavior
 Providing tangible, objective measures of adoption/sustainment

Believe the Old Way is Better
 Healthy skeptics may improve an idea
 People may fear hidden agendas
 Late adopters often look for messages
in how resistance is handled
 Set up mechanisms for obtaining feedback
 Some will prompt genuine improvements
 Some will be based more on fear and anger than substance
 Be honest about setbacks and negative impacts
 Management must be willing to enforce change, in the face of
objections
 Consensus will almost never be reached
 Communicate that objections and uncertainty does not eliminate the
need for change - "The dogs may bark, but the caravan goes on."

Not Everyone Will Feel More Comfortable
in a CMMI-Compliant Environment
 Skill variety - The degree to which the
work requires you to exercise a
variety of skills
 Task identity - The degree to which
the work requires you to complete a
whole, identifiable piece of work
 Task significance - The degree to
which your work affects others and
contributes to social welfare
 Autonomy - The degree to which you
have control over the means and
methods you use to perform your
work
 Job feedback - The degree to which
carrying out the work itself provides
you with direct and clear information
about how effective you are.
 Skill variety - The degree to which the
work requires you to exercise a
variety of skills
 Task identity - The degree to which
the work requires you to complete a
whole, identifiable piece of work
 Task significance - The degree to
which your work affects others and
contributes to social welfare
 Autonomy - The degree to which you
have control over the means and
methods you use to perform your
work
 Job feedback - The degree to which
carrying out the work itself provides
you with direct and clear information
about how effective you are.
Richard Hackman & Greg Oldham, Work Redesign

Addressing the Underlying Beliefs
 Sponsors and performers must have a strong vision of the
desired culture
 What are my roles and responsibilities?
 What changes in behavior are required?
 What are the underlying beliefs and values?
 How do I benefit – WIIFM?
Culture
Ethics Values Norms
Attitudes Beliefs Priorities
Opinions Behavior Conduct Do & Don’ts
Covert level
Intermediate level
Overt level
“Sustaining CMMI Compliance,” Rick Hefner, 2006 CMMI
Technology Conference & User Group

Management Support
Management must:
 Understand the key messages
 Be willing to take actions to reinforce them
 Provide resources to support/sustain process improvement
efforts
 Set expectations that essential project functions will be funded
and processes will be followed
 Project planning, estimation, tailoring, CM, QA, etc.
 Support process improvement and sustainment, rather than
passing appraisals
 Reward mature processes development and sustainment rather
than individual heroics
 Tell me how you will reward me, and I’ll tell how I will behave

Different Strategies for Different Practices
CMMI practices
Already
performing
Not performing
Aware of Not aware of
Don’t perceive
as valuable
Perceive
as valuable
Capture
appropriate
evidence
Learn how
the practice
adds valueStrategize
appropriate
approach

Summary
 People have underlying reasons for resisting change
 Creatures of habit
 Fear of failure
 Overloaded and overwhelmed
 Believe the old way is better
 Effective strategies for addressing resistance can help achieve
change
 The Role of the Change Agent
 The Role of Management
 Key Messages that Must be Communicated

Why Can't Johnny Improve?

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