top of page

Virtual CMMI® Training

NEW! Building
Organizational Capability

with Dragons

August 6-9, 2024

foc-cover-slide.jpeg
Enter a Magical World
...where vikings rock the CMMI® in the workplace, pirates use it to be (measurably) nicer, and aliens wield it to plan their next invasion.
Plus, did someone say dragons?

​

Seriously?

Yes, seriously.Our Building Organizational Capability class plunges you into a sci-fi fantasy world of vikings, aliens, pirates, dinosaurs, wizards, and more.** You'll learn the NEW CMMI V3 by tackling mini-scenarios as you journey through the magical world of Fantastica.

NEW! This 4-day class is a more comprehensive alternative to the 2-day Foundations of Capability (and the two 1-day Building Excellence classes). Foundations covers the 17 core Practice Areas (PAs). This course covers those plus the additional 14 PAs, spanning all eight domains: Development, Services, Suppliers, Virtual, Security, Safety, People, and Data. 
See our CMMI V3 Training Pathways handout for a deeper comparison. If that sounds tiring..  just take this class.​

​

"Dragons?" you ask. "Sounds too fun." Well, you can always jump through our portal back into the real world and apply concepts to something you might consider more practical. That's right, we provide non-fantasy options for the utter pragmatists.***

​

Hundreds of AI-generated images, over a dozen video snippets, and fully-licensed music combine to ensure that â€‹this class is like no other. You'll stay wide awake and have so much fun that you'll learn much more effectively than in those soulless death-by-PowerPoint classes you're used to.

Still doubting it? Take a look at these 25 sample slides (low resolution). Then scroll down to the bottom of this page and enroll soon. Our Building Organizational Capability class is new, but we expect it to sell out**** as our Foundations of Capability classes do.

​

* And yes, this is an are actual CMMI Institute-certified class -- with our unique touches.
** This class adds robots, steampunk llamas, yeti, and unicorns to the suite of characters found in our (shorter
) Foundations of Capability.

*** Data suggests that less than 1/3 of you will use the "real world" options, though.

**** Based on what we in the process improvement world refer to as "wishful thinking."

viking-holding-boat-plans-small.png
“I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by."
- Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Bill Smith Closeup

InterNationally recognized Instructor

Our energizing instructor Wild Bill Smith has taught certified CMMI courses to more students than anyone else in the world -- over 400 classes delivered to more than 5000 people!


"The instructor's high energy made it engaging and it was easy to participate." - virtual class attendee


Wild Bill has won multiple industry awards, and has trained a dazzling array of corporate and government clients in CMMI.

Apple Computer
Geeral Electric
AT&T
FEMA
IBM
Boeing
Strange but true: Wild Bill was featured in the 2016 book Tickers, selected as the Software Engineering Institute's 2010 Outstanding Member Representative, and voted Longest Legs (Male) in Shenango High School's Class of '79.

Exclusive Practice Exams

Graduate from our Building Organizational Capability class, and you'll snag free access to our proprietary, online practice Certified CMMI Practitioner exam -- available only to our students.

​

"Your practice tests were a big help, not just the topics/questions included (and explanations of where to find the answer), but also to help get more comfortable navigating the model viewer and PDF files." - virtual class attendee

alien-taking-exam-small.png
“This is some rescue! You came in here, but you didn't have a plan for getting out?"
- Princess Leia, Star Wars - A New Hope
unicorn-graduate-small.png

Alumni Club

All graduates of our certified CMMI classes are invited to join our online Alumni Club, to post questions and leverage our online resources.

Resources include: "CMMI V3 Crosswords" (to prep for the exam or simply to while away those lonely nights*), and "Where to Find Information on Appraisals" (to ease that existential dread).

​

* Topics include Model Structure, Appraisals, Key Terminology, Core Practice Areas, Development, ServicesAgile CMMI, Maturity and Capability Levels, and Key Changes from V2.

Our Building Org Capability class - 98% original content. Our Certified CMMI Instructor - 100% original content.

Bonus Binders

We provide extra stuff -- above and beyond what's included in the "standard" class -- to ease your CMMI journey:
 

  • Our home-grown CMMI Quick Reference Guide conveniently lists every practice in the model (Foundations of Capability and Building Organizational Capability only, 37 pp.).

  • Our CMMI Cheat Sheets provide you with useful, at-a-glance charts to liven up any dinner party (6 pp.).

  • We even give you a CMMI Adoption Guidance document describing how to turn CMMI from fantasy into reality (published by the CMMI Institute, 76 pp.).

stacked-books-and-adjacent-wand-small.png
"It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him."
- Gandalf, from The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein
dragon-holding-coffee-small.png

Which Classes ARE FOR YOU?

First, check out this nifty CMMI V3 Training Pathways guide for a detailed comparison of your options -- especially if you're a current CMMI Associate. Then...

 

NEW! Building Organizational Capability. This comprehensive four-day course covers the same ground as Foundations (below), but adds on all eight domains: Development, Services, Suppliers, Virtual, Security, Safety, People, and Data. You'll need this if your CMMI initiative extends beyond Development and Services.

​

Foundations of Capability. The classic two-day intro course. Covers basic concepts, model architecture, appraisals, and the 17 core Practice Areas (PAs) -- but none of the domain PAs. Most students follow this course up with one or both Building Excellence classes, to cover the DEV and/or SVC domains. (If you need to know about any of the other six domains, you should take Building Organizational Capability instead.)

​

Building Development Excellence. A one-day course for anyone heavily involved in a CMMI Development initiative; required for CMMI-DEV appraisal team members (ATMs). Foundations of Capability is a prerequisite. Covers content specific to CMMI-DEV and provides guidance on using CMMI in a solution development environment.

​

Building Service Excellence. A one-day class for people deeply involved in a CMMI Services program; required for CMMI-SVC ATMs. Foundations of Capability is a prerequisite. Introduces content specific to CMMI-SVC and gives guidance on using CMMI in a service environment.

Our classes sell out   |  Only 15 per class  |  No exceptions no whining  |  There's no crying in CMMI  |  Enroll today

WheN

Calendar Icon

Aug 6-9, 2024

8:30 am - 5 pm ET

Building Organizational Capability

We've never canceled a class due to low enrollment. (Unlike those other instructors!)

WheRE

Globe Icon

Anywhere with a reliable internet connection

Access to the Zoom teleconferencing platform is required. Need Zoom help? Download our Zoom Cheat Sheet and Wild Bill's Zoom Guidelines for My CMMI Classes.

MAGICAL bonuses

Exclusive content provided with class:

​​

What's Included

laptop.png

You'll need:

 

  • A quiet place

  • Robust internet access

  • A computer with webcam and microphone.
     

Your system must meet Zoom requirements

Book Icon

We give you:
 

wizard-cap-small.png

About the Online Model Viewer and CMMI Associate Exam

​

* CMMI is available online, via subscription only. Your tuition includes access to the CMMI online Model Viewer for 30 days. Access typically begins about 72 hours before class. Once you gain access, download a pdf of the model to use during class in case of Model Viewer access issues.
 

** Although passing the Certified CMMI Practitioner exam is not necessary to complete the course, you must be either a Certified CMMI Associate or Practitioner to serve on a CMMI appraisal team. Your Building Organizational Capability tuition includes a credit to take this online exam within 30 days of the first day of class.

​

*** We won't use the standard slides and exercises during class, although they have "informed" our delivery.

Tuition and Enrollment

Are seats available? Enrollment ends at 5 pm ET on the Wednesday of the week before class, or when class is full. If no seats are available, you'll find out when you try to enroll.

​

Once registered, watch your email carefully 7-10 days before class. Even check your Junk/Spam folder! You'll receive one message from us, giving you links to password-protected webpages for your classes. Each page provides you with (1) pre-class instructions, (2) the Zoom link, (3) course material for downloading, and (4) bonus files or links. You'll also receive one email from ISACA for each class; please take actions requested in those messages promptly to gain online Model Viewer access.

​

Invest the time needed to prepare. Allow at least 60 minutes the week before class to download material and gain access to your ISACA account. If you can't attend because you haven't followed pre-class guidance, we won't issue you a refund.

​

Consider an additional screen or printing key documents. In addition to viewing slides and a talking head in Zoom, you'll sometimes need to access the CMMI -- which is also online. So, consider an additional screen or at least a large one.

boc-small.png

Building Organizational Capability

Four days of CMMI -- covering every single domain! (Compare with our Foundations of Capability plus Building Excellence combos. See our CMMI V3 Training Pathways guidance.)

Courses

Building Organizational Capability
8/6-9 | 8:30am-5pm ET


Other dates are also selectable during enrollment.

Location

Virtual

Tuition

3 or more

$2300

$2200

Contact
bottom of page