James Woosley’s Blog

I’ve denied the blogosphere my inputs for long enough…it’s time to start over. Stay tuned!

Quickie post for controversy:

Why is there a different penalty for murder and attempted murder? I mean, when you get down to it, the intent to kill is the same. But the attemptee is a failure. Why should the punishment be less just because you can’t finish the job? Does it also work for robbery and other crimes? Does intent matter or not?

Comments welcome, either way!

My latest assignment at work was to lead our CMMI certification efforts. Today we wrapped up the appraisal and were granted the Maturity Level 3 rating for CMMI v1.2 for Development.

Okay, perhaps a little background is needed:

1) I’m a Manager for a major consulting company and have worked there for the past 5+ years (my entire post-USAF career).

2) In January, I was hired to lead the certification effort for a new software development facility. There were fewer than 40 employees at the time, and there are currently more than 100.

3) CMMI stands for Capability Maturity Model Integrated. It’s basically an industry recognized set of standards and practices for software development. You can learn more and see all the copyright and trademark signs at the Software Engineering Institute website.

Okay, so back to the story. In less than 10 months, we developed more than 250 pages of documentation and gathered about 2000 pieces of evidence for review this past week. It was grueling and exhausting, but we did it. (BTW, most organizations take 2-3 years to do what we did).

I’m proud of the fact that we were successful, and that we’re one of the very first organizations to be certified under the new v1.2 guidelines. But I’m most proud of the fact that we didn’t just do it for the marketing fodder or to check it off of a corporate goal checklist.

We dug into our processes and automated them whenever possible. We streamlined what our other development centers have done, and even what other entities within our company have done. We passed with flying colors, and while there’s room for improvement, there’s always room for improvement (it is a continuous improvement model).

What’s bugging me now is that the project has come to an end and I feel a bit like my purpose has come to an end. I’ve fulfilled my agreement and delivered what was expected. It’s a big deal, and I’m happy about that. But I’m dealing with the “what now?” part of the equation.

Am I defective in some part of my DNA that I can’t really enjoy this? Do I enjoy the struggle so much that I can’t truly welcome the victory? Am I normal in that? Or am I just a boring person who doesn’t know how to celebrate anything?

I guess a lot of it come from defining myself too much by what I do. That’s something us guys tend to do more than women. I’m in that grey area between missions. I need a goal to accomplish now, a mountain to climb, a race to win…

It’ll come soon enough, and then I’ll be looking forward to that accomplishment. Maybe I can remember all of this when I’m in the mess on that one, just trying to survive the rough spots that kill so many projects.

No matter what the project or the outcome, remember the following:

• Celebrate and enjoy the spoils of victory.
• Mourn the losses and share your scars and the stories that go with them.
• And in all things, give glory to God by doing your best with the talents He has given you!

Lots to catch up with here, so I think it’s time for a speed round update…

FPU Graduation
We had a great class and graduated 41 people, who paid off more than $130,000 and saved over $40,000. We also turned in more than $8.3M in credit offers!

Now we’re ramping up for another class during the summer. If you’re interested, head on over to GazelleIntensity.com.

In other Dave Ramsey news, we also have a group heading to Birmingham on Saturday for a Total Money Makeover Live Event.

TiVo is Great!
There are all kinds of reasons to love TiVo, but tonight I was reminded of another one. I’ve been watching The Unit on CBS on Tuesday nights. It’s a great military action/family show about a group of Army special forces types and their wives. Tonight, CBS decided to air two new episodes instead of just one. My VCR would have been programmed for one (because I’d have done it manually). But the TiVo is SMART! It just kept on recording and grabbed the second episode. Gotta love it!

Easter Bunny Lessons
It’s a bit out of date, but my daughter taught me quite a lesson at Easter. In her Easter basket was a bible book cover and a Narnia bookmark. She asked me to put her Bible in the cover (which I did) and then to put the bookmark in the story Jesus told about the talents (Matt 25:14-30). She’s only five and a few weeks before this I had miraculously found the story when I needed to in order to prove a point to her about taking care of her toys. She didn’t seem that interested at the time, but that five year old sponge of a brain was paying attention.

It’s another reminder that they are paying attention even when we don’t think they are. They notice the good things and the bad.

That’s all for now folks. Don’t forget Mother’s Day!

James

Well, I think my days of 2% milk are over. I’ve been slow to change, but after five years of airports, hotels and rentals cars (aka fast food and bachelor chow), my belt just doesn’t fit the way it used to. So I’m making the healthy sacrifice and moving from 2% to 1% milk. I just can’t do skim. Not yet at least!

I made the decision while shopping for groceries on Monday night for my work apartment. I thought about it last week, and this week decided to try it. Honestly, I was busy watching 24 (my favorite show) while eating and didn’t realize the change until the next night. That’s a good sign.

But when I realize what I’m drinking, I do notice a slight change in taste and a bigger change in texture. That’s what I’ve always hated about skim milk. It’s like water with chalk mixed in. Way too thin.

Of course, if I don’t change my eating and exercise habits, I’ll be way too fat!