CMMI Overview
The initial Capability Maturity Model (CMM v1.0) was developed by the Software Engineering Institute and specifically addressed software process maturity. It was first released in 1990, and after its successful adoption and usage in many domains, other CMMs were developed for other disciplines and functions such as Systems Engineering, people, integrated product development, software acquisition, and others. Although many organizations found these models to be useful, they also struggled with problems caused by overlap, inconsistencies, and integration. Many organizations also confronted conflicting demands between these models and ISO 9001 audits or other process improvement programs.
The CMM Integration (CMMI) Project was conceived as an initiative to integrate the various CMMs into a set of integrated models. The source models that served as the basis for the CMMI include: CMM for Software V2.0 (Draft C), EIA-731 Systems Engineering, and IPD CMM (IPD) V0.98a. The CMMI, like its predecessor, describes five distinct levels of maturity:
- Level 1 (initial) represents a process maturity characterized by unpredictable results. Ad hoc approaches, methods, notations, tools, and reactive management translate into a process dependent predominantly on the skills of the team to succeed.
- Level 2 (managed) represents a process maturity characterized by repeatable project performance. The organization uses foundation disciplines for requirements management; project planning; project monitoring and control; supplier agreement management; product and process quality assurance; configuration management and measurement/analysis. For Level 2, the key process focus is on project-level activities and practices.
- Level 3 (defined) represents a process maturity characterized by improving project performance within an organization. Consistent, cross-project disciplines for Level 2 key process areas are emphasized to establish organization-level activities and practices. Additional organizational process areas include:
- Requirements development: multi-stakeholder requirements evolution.
- Technical solution: evolutionary design and quality engineering.
Product integration: continuous integration, interface......
