| The Capability Maturity Model (CMM) is a methodology | | | | Organization Process Focus |
| used to develop and refine an organization's software | | | | Organization Process Definition |
| development process. The model describes a | | | | Training Program |
| five-level evolutionary path of increasingly organized | | | | Integrated Software Management |
| and systematically more mature processes. | | | | Software Product Engineering |
| CMM was developed and is promoted by the | | | | Intergroup Coordination |
| Software Engineering Institute (SEI), a research and | | | | Peer Reviews |
| development center sponsored by the U.S. | | | | Maturity Level 4 - Managed |
| Department of Defense. SEI was founded in 1984 to | | | | Quantitative process management |
| address software engineering issues and, in a broad | | | | Software quality management |
| sense, to advance software engineering | | | | Maturity Level 5 - Optimizing |
| methodologies. More specifically, SEI was established | | | | Defect prevention |
| to optimize the process of developing, acquiring, and | | | | Technology change management |
| maintaining heavily software-reliant systems for the | | | | Process change management |
| DoD. Because the processes involved are equally | | | | Structure of CMM |
| applicable to the software industry as a whole, SEI | | | | Maturity Levels |
| advocates industry-wide adoption of the CMM. | | | | Framework of Capability Maturity Model: A layered |
| The CMM is similar to ISO 9001, one of the ISO 9000 | | | | framework providing a progression to the discipline |
| series of standards specified by the International | | | | needed to engage in continuous improvement (It is |
| Organization for Standardization (ISO). The ISO 9000 | | | | important to state here that an organization develops |
| standards specify an effective quality system for | | | | the ability to assess the impact of a new practice, |
| manufacturing and service industries; ISO 9001 deals | | | | technology, or tool on their activity. Hence it is not a |
| specifically with software development and | | | | matter of adopting these; rather it is a matter of |
| maintenance. The main difference between the two | | | | determining how innovative efforts influence existing |
| systems lies in their respective purposes: ISO 9001 | | | | practices. This really empowers projects, teams, and |
| specifies a minimal acceptable quality level for | | | | organizations by giving them the foundation to support |
| software processes, while the CMM establishes a | | | | reasoned choice.) |
| framework for continuous process improvement and | | | | Key Process Areas Key process area (KPA) |
| is more explicit than the ISO standard in defining the | | | | identifies a cluster of related activities that, when |
| means to be employed to that end. | | | | performed collectively, achieve a set of goals |
| Levels of the CMM: | | | | considered important. |
| Maturity Level 1 - Initial | | | | Goals The goals of a key process area summarize |
| Maturity Level 2 - Repeatable | | | | the states that must exist for that key process area |
| Requirements Management | | | | to have been implemented in an effective and lasting |
| Software Project Planning | | | | way. The extent to which the goals have been |
| Software Project Tracking and Oversight | | | | accomplished is an indicator of how much capability |
| Software Subcontractor Management | | | | the organization has established at that maturity level. |
| Software Quality Assurance | | | | The goals signify the scope, boundaries, and intent of |
| Software Configuration Management | | | | each key process area. |
| Maturity Level 3 - Defined | | | | |