Here's my Number 1.

Say the word "Agile." Great! Now say "CMMI." Super! Quick question: which sounds sleeker... smoother... sexier? Even the authors of the CMMI would have to admit they lose that battle every single time!

Now, I certainly can't claim to be an agile expert, based on the fact that once-upon-a-time I read a book and then I kinda-sorta applied it. (Along with a dose of the CMMI for Services, though, it did help to turn my little company around.) But I'd be a fool -- and so would you -- to ignore the fact that agile methods such as Scrum have taken the development world by storm in the past decade. Yet, agile developers often don't see how CMMI can help them. Reasonable people have said it can, and publications like CMMI or Agile: Why Not Embrace Both! have explored the ability of CMMI to compliment or improve agile methods.

That being said, don't look for any specially-added goals or practices in Version 1.3 to accommodate agile. Why? They're simply not needed; agility fit just fine into Version 1.2... if you only knew how to interpret the model! (I know... that's a big "if." I make my living largely by telling people for three days at a time how to interpret the CMMI!) So for Version 1.3, you'll find that interpretive guidance has wisely been added. Look for a new section in the CMMI for Development (CMMI-DEV) Chapter 5, entitled "Interpreting CMMI When Using Agile Approaches," as well as new informative material in the following process areas:

• CMMI-DEV: CM, REQM, PP, RD, TS, PI, VER, PPQA, and RSKM
• CMMI-SVC: SSD
• CMMI-ACQ: AM, ATM, PMC, and PP

Example: "In agile environments... Teams plan, monitor, and adjust plans in each iteration as often as it takes (e.g., daily). Commitments to plans are demonstrated when tasks are assigned and accepted during iteration planning, user stories are elaborated or estimated, and iterations are populated with tasks from a maintained backlog of work."

So, finally, you now have my Top 8 New Concepts in CMMI v1.3:

1. Agile interpretive guidance
2. Modernized development practices
3. Teaming concepts
4. Causal analysis at low levels of maturity
5. Customer satisfaction
6. Lifecycle needs and standards
7. Prioritized customer requirements
8. Organizational-level contracts

Remember, there's nothing remotely official about this list. Even I have to admit that the rankings are a bit on the arbitrary side. But, if it helped give you some insight into what Version 1.3 is all about, then I've accomplished my goal.

:)

I hope you enjoyed my countdown.

I'll be speaking at the NDIA CMMI Technology Conference and User Group in Denver, November 15-18. Your last chance to pre-register for this event is today! See http://www.ndia.org/meetings/1110 for details. Perhaps I'll see a few of you there?