Established software vendors are turning to process improvement models as a means to better satisfy and keep their customers. With the benefits promised by software process improvement of higher quality software, increased customer retention, overall cost savings, and streamlined workflows, it would appear that an investment in process improvement would naturally pay-off in the long term, but that isn’t the reality. Come and learn the POWER® ingredients possessed by companies who have achieved top quality and process improvement success.
9:45 am - 10:00 am
BREAK
10:00 am - 10:50 am
Track: Business Process Management
Track: Cost Reduction
Track: Innovative Breakthrough Strategies
Track: Managing Customer Expectations
Sharmistha Choudhury Tata Consultancy Services
Cost of Poor Quality: Is it a Deterrent or Incitement for a Company's Profitability? Estimating the Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ) is imperative to a company's quality efforts. Some aspects of COPQ are somewhat intangible, and many others depend on the company's business model. The cost of delay is highly dependent on the business model that governs the way in which the company makes a profit from software development. This presentation focuses on how to present COPQ numbers, not as a "cost," but as a business opportunity.
Lakshminarayana Kompella Wipro Technologies
Adopting A Practical Approach to Earned Value Management in Maintenance and Service Projects This presentation suggests an approach to calculate earned value for maintenance and service projects that have heterogeneous and short duration requests. Procedure or method to enhance the validation effectiveness and the association of sub-process metrics is also discussed. This presentation also identifies parameters that are Critical-To-Quality (CTQ) and the subsequent derivation of sub-process metrics and correction is applied to calculate the actual Earned Value. The correction amounts to the additional, unplanned, effort required to correct CTQ deviation.
Dana Kawas Integrant Inc.
Innovation Into Practice This presentation explores the business values introduced as the formula of innovation with clear and structured processes for outsourcing and commitment towards hiring, developing, investing, and rewarding employees, in an effort to obtain Better Quality at Integrant and build long-term relationships with Clients.
Thomas Steinert & Sion Heaney Russell Investment Group
Running an Effective User Acceptance Test Program This presentation provides some ideas, tools, benefits, and pitfalls of running an effective UAT. It discusses the techniques, tools, and lessons learned from a number of projects ranging from key infrastructure upgrades with several hundred users, to agile projects with a high-touch 50 user UAT, to small efforts.
10:50 am - 11:05 am
BREAK
11:05 am - 12:20 pm
Keynote Address
Dr. Larry W. Rottmeyer Taylor University
Mastering Best Practices: Launching and Marketing Creative Products and Programs
Today’s “best-in-industry” marketing strategies provide the foundation for the successful launch of new programs in competitive, mature markets that offer limited market space. Based on trends in the emerging work environment, this presentation introduces several critical success factors essential to be “efficiently effective” in creating new market space and marketing innovative programs.
12:20 pm - 1:20 pm
LUNCH
1:20 pm - 2:10 pm
Track: Business Process Management
Track: Cost Reduction
Track: Innovative Breakthrough Strategies
Track: Managing Customer Expectations
Glenn Breslin Delta Dental of California
Quality Process for XML Interfaces: An Overview This presentation explains how through the use of CMMI concepts, industry best practices, repeatable standards and processes, this case study project was converted from potential failure to one of the department's most successful projects. This presentation also explores: XML Interface project best practices, how CMMI Level 2 concepts can improve both project quality and shorten project timelines, XML Interface quality deliverables information, general CMMI review, and creation of standards and process documentation to foster best practices repeatability.
Tracy Monteith Microsoft
Global Quality Can't Be "Tested In"As a Senior member of Microsoft’s Test Excellence team, this presentation reveals how Microsoft tests today and where it is headed. In this presentation, attendees will learn:
• How we select and develop test engineers • Common processes • Choosing between agile or traditional models • Tools used and the ones available outside of Microsoft • Steps we rigorously impose on all products and why • Old tricks Microsoft is re-learning and new steps to move toward continuously increased quality
Pete Wilson Mosaic, Inc.
Innovation in Testing The world is changing – Outsourcing, Offshoring, Sarbanes-Oxley, security concerns, new technology, and many other trends are placing new demands on testing. This presentation discusses these trends, how they will impact testing, and what kinds of innovations will be required to meet the challenges these trends present.
The Importance of the Resource Capability Index Measure in IT Project Success This presentation examines the process of monitoring and measuring the resource capability index to ensure that the right capable resources are working on the right phases of the project to meet project success at all milestones. This presentation proposes how to set up resource capability index, guidelines, and how to measure during different phases of the project. As resource capability index is the main parameter on which the success of any project depends, we feel it is also the most important in the software field.
2:10 pm - 2:30 pm
BREAK
2:30 pm - 3:20 pm
Track: Business Process Management
Track: Cost Reduction
Track: Innovative Breakthrough Strategies
Track: Managing Customer Expectations
Jeffrey Lewis QMS Consulting, Inc.
Safety In Your Hand This presentation conveys the best practice process facilitates a number of ISO standards and follows the Deming Cycle of Plan, Do, Check, Act. Together with maintenance management, the standards are harmonized to enable their check-listed “do” delivery from a handheld instrument. All other Deming Cycle activities are Internet/server based. The harmonization leads to enhanced workflow management since all activities that result in corrective actions can be addressed. This process is formatted to provide reports and information that drives continuous improvement related to an organization’s performance.
Asheesh Bajaj
Tata Consultancy Services
Metrics Based Information Technology Service Management (ITSM) Assessment ITSM focuses on applying ITIL best practices framework across the enterprise to align business with IT. This alignment integrates people, processes, and technology, resulting in decreased costs and improved quality. Identifying and monitoring key measurement metrics for ITIL Support and Delivery processes becomes imperative and helps the organization to quantitatively manage its process improvement efforts and focus on better realization of its return on investment. This presentation discusses the metrics intended to enhance the business benefits of an organization embarking on its ITIL journey.
Unleash the POWER of Static Testing Most organizations rely on traditional testing to determine whether new code works when, for 30 years, the formal Inspection, as developed by Michael Fagan, has proven more effective and efficient at finding defects early in the lifecycle when they are easier and less costly to find and fix. In this presentation, learn how to unleash the power of Inspections while implementing a technique that has proven strategic value for both finding defects, improving processes to reap significant bottom-line value and ROI, and making a persuasive case to management.
Ron Dean
SRA International
Fine Tuning your PM Objective
From oil changes to used cars, you hear about a multi-point checklist to ensure a quality product. During this session we’ll use a 15 point checklist to fine tune our Project Management objectives. We will check the tires (life cycle), the engine (requirements), the interior (CM), the finish (QA) and the assembly line (testing) to ensure the customer a quality product.
3:20 pm - 3:30 pm
BREAK
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
QAI Panel Discussion by Professional Experts
Certification
This program will highlight the benefit of the professional IT quality and project management certification programs. The discussion will include recent additions and changes to the QAI professional certifications. The panel, comprised of certified professionals, will also delve into the value to professionals and their organizations of multilevel certification competence.
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Evening Session
Steve Bender & Teresa Morris The Quality Connection
8:15 am - 8:30 am