Thursday, April 16, 2015

Why Attend CMMI Institute’s Global Congress? Reason #8


Dear Readers,

I don’t know about you, but I am REALLY looking forward to the CMMI Global Congress 2015 in Seattle on May 12-13! I keep running through of all the great things that will happen there. So, for those of you who have never been to the industry’s premier event, I decided to count down my list of Top 10 Reasons to attend Global Congress 2015.

Drum roll, please! Reason #8 is …

Come for the technical sessions, stay for the networking!

Formerly known as SEPG North America (I have always called it “The Greatest Show on Earth”), Global Congress 2015 continues to attract engineering and software professionals from some of the finest organizations in our country, and beyond. That makes the conference an outstanding place to network and develop new business relationships.

You’ll meet everyone from CMMI Lead Appraisers to CMMI program sponsors to people who are just learning how to spell “CMMI,” but who are attracted by the idea of using an evidence-based model that can guide them on the path to greatness They all come together out of a common interest in process, performance, and organizational improvement.

What's in it for you as a sponsor?

Some sponsors come to the Conference actively looking for a potential CMMI Institute Partner – and it’s a great place to find one. Some have already engaged a Partner, but I’ve found that there is plenty of opportunity for sponsors to meet Partners, and Partners to meet sponsors during the many technical presentation and networking events.

True story: Several years ago, when the Conference was held in Portland, I gave a presentation called “The Agile SCAMPI: Taming the Savage Beast.” There was a decent crowd (ok, some came just for the hats I was tossing out for free) and I hope they received some good information about making Appraisals simpler and more Agile.

One company in the audience was in the process of tackling a large-scale, multi-location process improvement initiative. They needed help with planning, training, and conducting a multi-site SCAMPI Appraisal. They had already zeroed in on a small set of Partners to choose from but after my speech they added me to the list. Just like that! I ultimately started working with them and it was a win for everyone involved.

What lesson did I learn from this? Come for the great technical sessions, but stay for the networking. You never know when you’re shaking hands with your next big client – or finding your next Partner.

Need more reasons to go? I’ll be back soon with Reason #7.

Jeff Dalton is a Certified SCAMPI Lead Appraiser, Certified CMMI Instructor, ScrumMaster, author, and consultant with years of real-world experience with the CMMI in all types of organizations. Jeff pioneered agileCMMI, the leading methodology for incremental and iterative process improvement. He has taught thousands of students in CMMI trainings and has received an aggregate satisfaction score of 4.97 out of 5 from his students.

Visit www.broadswordsolutions.com for more information about engineering strategy, performance innovation, software process improvement and running a successful CMMI program.



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