WATTS HUMPHREY -- A Giant Passes from the Scene

This is a sad day for everyone who has been engaged at any level in the wonderful world of software. Watts Humphrey, who just died at 83, pioneered the development of many of the processes that assure and ensure software quality. He is probably best known as the father of the Capability Maturity Model -- an approach that has had more impact than any other. Watts understood all along that IT and software engineering aren't about technology; they are about people and processes making technology a tool for solving problems.


His official obit from his long-time base in the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University (http://tinyurl.com/2vffpgt) is headed: Watts Humphrey Succeeded in Changing the World of Software Engineering. "Changing the world of anything is an outrageous commitment," Humphrey said in an interview in early 2010, discussing his decision to come to the SEI. "I knew I couldn't do it alone, and I wanted to be in an environment where I could work with folks and do that."

As the pioneering innovator behind several important software development processes, Watts Humphrey more than met his promise to change the World of software engineering. His contributions go well beyond methodology and the many awards and accolades he received. For decades, his work inspired software engineers and his colleagues and friends worldwide. (Jared Cohon, president, Carnegie Mellon University.)

But Watts' legacy is not just for us techie types -- in fact, what made him so successful in "changing the world" was his strategic leadership, that is the ongoing focus of this blog. Watts embodied the qualities that any leader in any field can adopt.

Vision: After years of pioneering work at IBM as a leader of a mammoth, global software engineering group, Watts saw with great clarity what needed to be done to move developing software solutions to business problems from a black art to an engineering discipline. He believed in the power of harnessing technology in a disciplined way.

Translate vision to reality: Watts was not one of these leaders who float along at 30,000 feet on his visionary quest but whose feet never touch the ground. He could turn his vision into practical processes that gave individuals a clear road map to daily practice.

Inspiration: Because Watts' vision was so clear and because he could translate it into reality, he inspired generations of folks in the software field by making us want to implement his ideas. His style was easy going but compelling. I still have handwritten notes from the many times I heard him speak and lead seminars -- and I still pull them out and use them in my work.

Caring: At the end of any keynote, presenters like Watts are always mobbed by enthusiastic people. Some busy themselves with packing up their notes and computer, distractedly hand out a few cards, and slip away. Others believe they have a captive audience to continue pontificating or shamelessly trying to drum up consulting gigs. Watts was different. He talked with each person, no matter how new to the field and naive, as if he or she were the only person in the room. He shared. He was warm and encouraging. No matter how long the line, he was patient and engaged.

Commitment: His commitment to changing the world of software engineering was authentic and not grandiose. Many in the field believe they have the keys to better software solutions and don't mind telling you how great they are, how wrong others are, and how following them will get you to the promised land of zero defects. Watts simply told stories about how real people had succeeded in putting processes in place to improve results. His commitment was to the people that toil away in Cube Land day after day, trying to support their organizations with technology; the Dilberts of the world. Watts’ commitment was not to aggrandizing himself.

Great Management: Long before the Gallup organization published First Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently (FBAR,) Watts wrote a little volume called Managing Technical Professionals. In it he lays out how to adapt and adopt our understanding of human psychology to bring out great performance in people. FBAR simply confirmed with extensive data what Watts had learned from his experience as a manager and leader. Whether you manage technical or non-technical people, it is still one of the best handbooks for day-to-day working with people. (Of course FBAR is a necessary resource too.)

So whether you're a techie who was touched directly or indirectly by Watts and his breakthroughs or whether you're just trying to be a good manager and leader, spend a little time investigating and learning from this giant...he did change the world for the better...and the world is a little diminished today with his passing. Luckily we can all access and learn from his legacy which will be with us a long time.

Farewell, Watts. We will miss you and we will never forget you and what you have done for us.

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(C) Rebecca Staton-Reinstein, President, Advantage Leadership, Inc.
Author: Conventional Wisdom: How Today's Leaders Plan, Perform, and Progress Like the Founding Fathers

It's never to early to destroy a good thing!

You know the old cliche: A new broom sweeps clean.
It barely took a year for the new CIO to destroy a system that was generating millions of dollars in cost reductions and avoidance...
...You've heard the old joke:

The new CIO arrives to replace the departing one. The old CIO says, "Listen, I gotta go...but I left you 3 envelopes to guide you when you run into trouble. Good Luck!" Of course, the new CIO enjoys a little honeymoon and is busy over promising and under delivering. But a few months in, the CIO is in trouble until remembering the envelopes. So the CIO opens the first envelope and the message reads, "Blame your predecessor." So the CIO proceeds to demonstrate how every problem, issue, and complaint can be laid directly on the previous CIO. This works very well for about 6 months but pressure begins to build again. The CIO remembers the envelopes and decides to open the second one. "Reorganize." Great idea! So the reorgs begin and chaos reigns for another 6 months so nothing can be blamed on the current CIO -- after all, you expect a little disruption after a reorg and the new organization will be SOOOOO much better. Eventually the dust settles and complaints begin coming in from every direction. The CIO is in big trouble so opens the last envelope. "Prepare 3 envelopes."

This joke reflects reality all too often. Many studies show that the average lifespan of a CIO is about 18 months. I first observed this phenomenon over 20 years ago at a large company. where I worked. After putting in place a complete system to improve software results and reaping the benefits of demonstrable ROI, when the company hit a rough patch, he systematically dismantled everything that worked. A few months later he was gone and a few months after that other bad business decisions led to the company's demise and absorption by a competitor.

If this were an isolated story, I wouldn't bother to tell it. But I have seen it first hand and read about it over and over. Here's the most recent tale of woe. Beta Company assessed its situation and realized it needed some improvements in the way it tested software. It assigned an existing group to remedy the situation, which it did over the next two years. The results were major improvements to the bottom line. Testing effectiveness improved dramatically resulting in a significant drop in defects found in production. The difference was documented in the millions of dollars.

With effective dynamic testing firmly established, the team turned to static testing and began implementing Formal Inspections. Once again the results were dramatic. In one side-by-side comparison of two very similar projects (same Project Manager, similar scope, most of the same project team) the project with the Requirements Inspections not only came in at a dramatically lower price tag but avoided over $500,000 in defect costs. Overall, the

team's efforts demonstrated over $6 MILLION in savings.

So why doesn't this story have a happy ending? The New Broom Syndrome. In the midst of all this progress, the company got a new CIO and the economy took a nose dive. The team took some cuts like everyone else and lost a few key players...BUT it survived and continued making improvements and reporting consistent ROI and bottom-line results. The CIO of course blamed the economy and his predecessor for any and all problems. When that stopped working, he reorganized several times. The last one has these quality improvement functions reporting to the area in charge of the delinquent processes -- the fox is licking his chops as he saunters into the hen house.

The inevitable results will hit the papers just as they do in all these situations. Good people will be out on the streets. Quality will have a bad name around the company for a few years. A new CIO will enter the scene and get 3 envelopes from the departing one...

It doesn't have to be the same old story. Here's the secret: Leadership.

That's it. A leader will look at the data and the processes and manage by fact and process. A leader will face adversity and look at the true value each process contributes. A leader will make decisions strategically to fulfill a clear mission. Which are you? A strategic leader or a tactical firefighter? 18 months and 3 envelopes or...

***** ***** *****
Rebecca Staton-Reinstein, President, Advantage Leadership, Inc.

More on Strategic Planning, establishing QA, getting great requirements: http://www.advantageleadership.com/

More on Strategic Leaderhip: http://www.conventionalwisdomcenter.com/

Listen to a free webinar on how to turn defects into dollars: http://www.iist.org/freewebinars/descriptions/Testing_Improvement_Story_Turning_Defects_RebeccaStaton.php