The Capability Maturity Model

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The Capability Maturity Model
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Overview

• To frame our discussion, consider
• What is CMM?
• What is the structure of the CMM?
• How is CMM used in support of process
  improvement?
• Why is CMM used in support of process
  improvement?

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Outline

• What is CMM?
• Process Characterization
• Five Levels of Process Maturity
• Understanding the Maturity Levels
• Internal CMM Structure
• Conclusion

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What is CMM?

• The application of process management and quality
  improvement concepts to software development and
  maintenance.
• A guide for evolving toward a culture of
  engineering excellence.
• A model for organizational improvement.
• The underlying structure for reliable and
  consistent software process assessments and
  software capability evaluations.

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CMM Supports

• setting goals for senior management
• identifying priorities for process improvement
• identifying process capability of organizations
• predicting future process performance of projects
  
• industry-wide comparisons of the state of the
  practice

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Process Characterization (1)

• Process Performance
• The actual results achieved by following a
  software process.
• Process Capability
• The range of expected results that can be
  achieved by following a software process.
• Process Maturity
• The extent to which a specific process is
  explicitly defined, managed, measured,
  controlled, and effective.

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Process Characterization (2)
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Five Levels of Process Maturity
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Understanding Maturity Levels (1)

• CMM is a descriptive model that provides details
  on essential operational activities at a
  particular maturity level.
• CMM is a normative model in it describes
  practices that characterize the normal types of
  behavior expected in a software organization. The
  intent is that the CMM is at a sufficient level
  of abstraction that it does not unduly constrain
  how the software process is implemented by an
  organization.
• The CMM is not prescriptive. it does not tell an
  organization how to improve. The CMM describes an
  organization at each maturity level without
  prescribing the specific means for getting there.

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Understanding Maturity Levels (2)
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CMM Structure (1)
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CMM Structure (2)

• Maturity Levels
• Maturity levels are evolutionary plateaus. Each
  level characterizes a process capability.
• Key Process Areas
• Key process areas identify a cluster of related
  activities that,when performed collectively,
  achieve a set of goals considered important for
  enhancing process capability.

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CMM Structure (3)

• Common Features
• Key process areas have attributes indicating
  whether particular activities are effective as
  well as whether they have become part of the
  infrastructure.
• Commitment to Perform
• Ability to Perform
• Activities Performed
• Measurement and Analysis
• Verifying Implementation

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CMM Structure (4)

• Key Practices
• Key practices provide a more detailed view of
  specific activities, policies, procedures for key
  process areas.

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Key Practices by Level
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CMM Effects
Model Assumes a 200K Business Application
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Conclusions (1)

• A reasonable software process is
• practiced
• documented
• enforced
• trained
• measured
• able to improve

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Conclusions (2)

• A well-defined process can be characterized in
  terms of
• readiness criteria
• inputs
• standards and procedures for performing the work
• verification mechanisms (e.g., peer reviews)
• outputs
• completion criteria

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Using CMM

• Process Assessments
• Capability Evaluations

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CMM Data