Task: Manage the Mentoring Program
Monitor and control the mentoring program and perform ongoing planning. Manage launches of process and tool improvement mentoring projects across the organization.
Disciplines: Software Capability Improvement
Purpose
Support the successful adoption of software development capability enhancements to process and tools in order to achieve operational objectives.
Relationships
RolesPrimary Performer: Additional Performers:
InputsMandatory:
    Optional:
    • None
    Outputs
      Main Description

      A process and tools mentoring program should be managed as you manage any other program of projects. Supporting adoption of  new processes and tools across an organization is a complex effort requiring effective planning, monitoring, and control, because changing the way people work can jeopardize the success of projects.

      Set up milestones, allocate resources, execute iteratively, and manage it as you would a software development project.

      Adoption acceleration is achieved by first targeting representative projects with concentrated support to ensure success, then by consistently leveraging newly skilled staff on successive adoption waves (organic growth model).


      Steps
      Deploy mentors to projects

      Establish mentoring plan for each adoption project. A formal relationship between the project team and the mentor must be created. Determine the following:

      • Roles, responsibilities of mentor and project team
      • Rules of engagement
      • Mentoring scope

      Plan for at least 1 mentoring session per week (remote or on-site).

      Maintain mentoring schedule for all mentors deployed and available for deployment.

      Monitor performance against expected value

      Measure performance against established objectives documented in the Mentoring Program Plan. Document results.

      Examples of what to measure:

      • Number of Assets created
      • Number of assets re-used
      • Number of assets evolved
      • Productivity/ performance metrics (impact on project)
      • Number of people who have adopted
      • Number of projects in pipeline
      • Number of mentors developed


      Identify, assess, and manage risks

      To identify risks, consider 'what can go wrong.' At the broadest level, of course, everything can go wrong. The point is not to cast a pessimistic view on the program, however; we want to identify potential barriers to success so that we can reduce or eliminate them. More specifically, we are looking for the events which might occur which would decrease the likelihood that we will be able to support the successful adoption of process and tools improvements.

      Generally, based on the existing list, new risks will be identified by the Coordinator and mentoring team, and captured in the Mentoring Program Plan to be discusses in weekly status meetings.

      Provide weekly status

      The CoC coordinator meets weekly meeting with the Project Sponsor and other stakeholders. The topics for this meeting include:

      • Current Staffing
      • Current expenditures
      • Expected Business Value
      • Achieved Business Value
      • Risks
      • Issues
      Gather feedback for continuous improvement

      Each mentor provides feedback on the capability improvements based on their mentoring experience with real projects. This feedback is discussed by the mentoring team and packaged into a set of recommendations for the Software Capability Improvement Organization.  This feedback loop is critical for continuous improvement of the organization's process and tools configurations.  Steer the next mentoring project based on lessons learned.

      Create and evolve assets

      Identify reusable assets from project teams. Develop new assets based on lessons learned in mentoring projects.

      Key Considerations

      Mentoring is a formal activity. If it is performed as an informal, ad hoc, unplanned activity, it will be difficult to achieve good results.

      It is critical that the mentoring team sees themselves as a service organization measured by the success of the software development projects it mentors.