May 7th, 2024
For Japanese Page
We propose the realization of "self-managed engineers" and "self-managed teams" that improve the credibility and productivity of your software business. You need it for your software organization!
It seems that engineers and teams who are in charge of developing and operating systems and applications that run on on-premises and cloud systems are struggling in achieving their project QCD goals and are not able to effectively manage their teams [1,2,3].One possible reason why this issue has persisted for so long is that the tasks or inputs per step of the organizational process you have been using are too large or mixed, and they are not being performed exactly as intended.
First, we need a new way to understand the tasks that project members and teams perform and their inputs and relationships with precision and accuracy.
Based on validated process principles, it is such a process definition that clearly states which (small granularity) tasks are to be executed by whom, and when, measures the execution of those tasks, records the data, and shows whether QCD goals are likely to be achieved, and if not, where the cause lies [4].
For engineers, we provide a process definition called a personal script. The first step is "Entry Condition", and once you have confirmed this, you can start the development. The next part includes the flow of engineering tasks from understanding requirements to software creation, the flow of planning tasks, the flow of quality and progress review and measurement, the task flow of recording, analysis and display of data, and the flow of tasks for evaluating the discrepancy between plan and actual results that are integrated and defined as a single flow. The last part is "Exit Condition" to be confirmed for completion [4,5].
Personal scripts vary from engineer to engineer due to individual differences in doing work. For example, if an engineer detects an error in estimation or quality, the engineer adds its recurrence prevention task to its own personal script. From the next time, this problem may be eliminated, and rework will be reduced. In this way, an engineer who can perform tasks according to a personal script is called a self-managed engineer.
To master the above skills, engineers will take a two-to-three-week training course with one of our certified instructors to learn the fundamentals of process definition and software development/engineering, and also prepare them to become project team members. A prerequisite for taking this course is a good understanding of one programming language to be able to write hundreds of lines of code [4].
Similarly, you define a set of tasks to manage project and team together as a team script. Follow this script, a self-managed team produces high-quality outcome as planned while referencing the team's recorded data. For example, when a project begins, the team listens its senior management on the business strategies, build the team that can best collaborate, and develop project goals and plans.
Senior manager communicates directly to team members at the start of the project to provide business strategy and necessary assistance. The team responds by creating and proposing preferable solutions, project goals and plans, which are then reviewed and approved.
Team leader is responsible for holding regular and irregular progress review meetings to identify and provide necessary support, and report back to senior management to ensure the success of the project.
To ensure this, senior management, managers, and team leaders attend strategy seminars to understand how to motivate their teams and how to provide effective supports. Self-managed engineers learn through seminars or by performing team management tasks according to team scripts with guidance from experienced members.
Self-managed teams reduce the project management burden and improves team efficiency. For example, in a project where clients and contractors are distributed, we will set up a self-managed team for each organization and build a self-managed team consisting of its leaders: a leadership team. In the development of products and services involving many departments within a Matrix organization, it is possible to build a virtual self-managed team for each product, manage the schedule, and manage the delivery reliably.
To accelerate the implementation of these benefits in your organization, your organization instructors and coaches will be trained by our certified Master Instructors and Mentor Coaches.
Here are some examples of feedback from self-managed teams [6][7]: Enjoyed working on the project team, received timely cooperation from other team members, contributed more than expected, was able to stay within the plan, reduced the testing time by 1/4, quality was improved in response to business demands when project was repeated, and so on [6,7,8].
You can connect the data obtained by running the personal and team scripts
into your existing organizational processes, SCRUM, RUP, etc. This has
a potential to achieve a higher project QCD goal.
The Next Process Institute (NPI) can help you meet the needs of engineers
and managers from the initial development of self-managed engineers to
the realization of proficient self-managed teams that can play an organizational
role. Please make use of it [8].
For more information, visit the TSP Process Training Objectives page, followed by the TSP Course Introduction page. If you would like to attend a seminar or training, please send it
to the "TSP Course Registration" page. If you have any questions or requests, please let us know
on the "Contact Us" page.
In addition, we offer a low fee for on-site seminars, courses, and coaching, so please take advantage of it.
Thank you,
Yoshihiro Akiyama PhD., PMP
https://www.next-process.com
[1] Japan Information Systems Users Association (JUAS) Corporate IT Trend Survey Report 2022 (FY2021 Survey)
[2] Japan Information System Users Association (JUAS) User Companies Software Metrics Survey [System Development and Maintenance Survey Report] 2020 Edition
[3] The service system must provide its service non-stop 24 hours a day,
365 days a year, while avoiding unauthorized data, defects, etc. There
is an inherent risk of inconsistencies with transaction data, as there
are places where the on-site handling of double bookings, such as seat
reservation systems and ticketing systems. It increases the burden on your
organization.
[4] The operational process called as the PSP/TSP (Personal Software Process/Team
Software Process) was developed and validated by Dr. Watts S. Humphrey,
a proponent of Software CMM, and announced in 2001. Many companies such
as Boeing and Microsoft have demonstrated this, and in 2009 the President
of the United States awarded Mr. Humphrey the National Medal of Technology
(Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute's Watts Humphrey Awarded
Prestigious National Medal of Technology (cmu.edu)). CMM, PSP, and TSP
are service marks of Carnegie Mellon University, USA.
[5] A script (play script or orchestral score) is a script that shows who
should do what actions, when and how, in the correct order from beginning
to end. Ensure script execution by checking start and end conditions at
the start and end of the script. As you execute each step of the script,
record the associated magnitude, duration, and detected defects. Use this
data to confirm your execution. The average data recording time (for each
task) is less than 1% of the total. The tools provided automatically analyze
and display data, allowing engineers to assess their own and team's performance
at any time, and take immediate action when deficiencies are identified.
You can create most of your reports using the information provided by the
tool.
[6] Caper Jones, Software Engineering Best Practices: Lessons from Successful
Projects in the Top Companies, 2009/11/5
[7] Japan TSP user achievement and engineer data are training class data.
The same applies to the TSP Symposium (2006-2014) organized by CMU/SEI
and the TSPi project conducted by graduate students.
[8] NPI initiated the PSP/TSP related efforts as a CMU/SEI strategic partner
in 2007, holding seminars for engineers, managers, executives, university
teachers, students, etc. from industries and universities in Japan and
China. and provided training and coaching engineers and project teams.
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