CAPABILITY MATURITY MODEL
for Software (CMM)
Version 1.1
INTRODUCTION
Course Objectives
• Understand terms such as process, capability, and
maturity
• Discuss the 18 key process areas in the CMM
• Interpret the CMM and the key practices in the
different contexts
• Describe the fundamental concepts of the CMM
• Explain and use the structure of the CMM
What can go wrong in a
project?
• Bad requirements • Mismatched resource skill
• Frequent changes to levels
requirements • Miscommunication between
• Wrong interpretation of groups
requirements • No defined method for
• Inaccurate estimation implementing a project
• Inaccurate or bad planning • No checks and balances
• Risks which materialized • Inadequate testing
• Attrition • Incorrect source base and
• Bad implementation so on
• No reviews i.E., Inputs from
relevant people/ groups
Do we need processes?
Do we need processes? Such discipline may
stifle my creativity!
“Discipline enables creativity by FREEING the
most talented software professionals from the
many CRISES that others have created. A
disciplined process EMPOWERS the intellect...”
- Watts Humphrey
What Is CMM ?
A common sense application of process management
and quality improvement concepts to software
development and maintenance
A community-developed guide
A model for organizational improvement
Other Capability Maturity
Models
Focus areas include :
Software CMM
People CMM
CMMI - CMM integrated (new)
A Mature Process
Consistent with the way work actually gets done -
defined, documented, and continuously improving
Understood
Used
Living
Supported visibly by management and others
Well controlled
Constructive use of product and process
measurements
Disciplined use of technology
Institutionalized Process
“That is the way we do things around here”
Organizational infrastructure contains
Effective processes
Usable processes
Consistently applied processes
Organizational culture
Must convey the process
Nurtured by management
Is conveyed with role models and rewards
Institutionalized processes ENDURES
( Even after people who originally defined them have gone)
What CMM Does not
address?
The CMM does not address specific software
process and quality improvement issues
Issues that are addressed only indirectly,
or by implication, include
Specific tools, methods, and
technologies
System engineering, marketing, etc
Human resources
Organizational behavior
Structure of CMM
CMM Maturity Level
Maturity level is
Well-defined stages of evolution on the path
to becoming a mature software
organization
Each level is a layer in the foundation for
continuous process improvement
Achieving each level establishes a different
component of the software process
CMM Maturity Level
There are five maturity levels in CMM
Intent of the Initial Level
-Level 1
Performance driven by the competence of
the people doing the work
High quality and exceptional performance
possible so long as the best people can be
hired
The process is unpredictable - for good or bad
The major problems facing the software
organization are managerial, not technical
Intent of the Repeatable
Level - level 2
The predominant need is to establish
effective software project management
Software project management processes
are documented and followed
Organizational policies guide the projects
in establishing management processes
Successful practices developed on earlier
projects can be repeated
Intent of the Defined Level
- Level 3
This level builds on the software project
management foundation
To control a process, it must be defined,
documented, and understood
The outputs of one task flow smoothly in
to the inputs of the next task
At this level, the organization builds
processes that empower the individuals
doing the work
Intent of the Managed
level - Level 4
Apply the principles of statistical process
control
Address the special causes of process
variation
Intent Of The Optimizing
level - Level 5
Identify and eliminate chronic causes of
poor performance
Continuously improve the software process
Key Process Area (KPAs)
of Each Level
Maturity levels are described in terms of 18 key process areas (KPAs)
Level 2 KPAs
Software configuration management (SCM)
Software quality assurance (SQA)
Software subcontract management (SSCM)
Software project tracking and oversight (SPTO)
Software project planning (SPP)
Requirements management (RM)
Level 3 KPAs
Organization process focus (OPF)
Organization process definition (OPD)
Peer reviews (PR)
Intergroup coordination (IGC)
Software product engineering (SPE)
Integrated software management (ISM)
Training program (TP)
Level 4 KPAs
Software quality management (SQM)
Quantitative process management (QPM)
Level 5 KPAs
Process change management (PCM)
Technology change management (TCM)
Defect prevention (DP)
Maturity levels cannot be
skipped
• Processes at higher maturity levels may
be performed, although perhaps
ineffectively, even by the organizations at
the initial level
• Process capability is built in stages, as
some processes are ineffective when others
are not stable
Maturity levels
Well-defined evolutionary plateaus on the
path to becoming a mature software
organization
Each level is a layer in the foundation for
continuous process improvement
There are five maturity levels in the CMM
Achieving each level establishes a different
component of the software process
Maturity levels are described in terms of 18
key process areas
Goals
Goals summarize the key practices of the
key process areas
They are considered important for enhancing
process capability for that level of maturity
They can be used to guide organizations
and appraisal teams in assessing alternative
ways to implement key process areas
Each key process maps to one or more
goals
Common features
• Used to organize the key practices in each
key process area
Common features are :
– Commitment to perform
– Ability to perform
– Activities performed
– Measurement and analysis
– Verifying implementation
Commitment to perform
• Describes the actions the organization must
take to ensure that the process is
established and will endure
• Typically include
– Policies
– Leadership
Ability to perform
• Describes the preconditions that must exist
in the project or organization to
implement the software process
competently
• Typically includes
– Function
– Resources
– Delegation
– Training
– Orientation
Activities performed
• Describes the roles and procedures
necessary to implement a key process
area
• Typically includes
– Establishing plans and procedures
– Performing the work
– Tracking it
– Taking corrective actions as necessary
Measurement and
analysis
• Describes the need to measure the
process and analyze the measurements
• Typically includes examples of the
measurements that could be taken to
determine the status and effectiveness of
the activities performed common feature
Verifying implementation
• Describes the steps to ensure that the
activities are performed in compliance with
the process that has been established
• Typically includes reviews and audits by
– Senior management
– Project management
– Software quality assurance
Key Practices
• State the fundamental policies, procedures,
and activities for a key process area
• Describe “what” is to be done, but they
should not be interpreted as mandating
“how”
• Are organized by common feature
• 316 key practices in CMM
End of Introduction to CMM
