Software Engineering - Capability Maturity Model (CMM)

Capability Maturity Model (CMM)

Maturity level of an organization in terms of their capability to build high quality software within short turn-around time with optimal cost.

Motivation:

Organization should understand its current standing

Develop a plan to improve the process

Incrementally introduce changes

Give time to internalize and truly follow new methods

Order in which the improvement steps should be taken.

What is CMM all about?

Concept of introducing changes in small increments based on the current state of the process

Provides a general roadmap for process improvement

CMM Levels

Initial
Repeatable
• disciplined
Defined
• Standard, consistent
Managed
• predictable
Optimized
• Continuously improving

How does CMM Help?

Provides characteristics at each level
• Used to assess the current standing of the organization
Suggests the areas in which the process should be improved so that it can move to the next level.

Initial:

Adhoc

No formalized process

Process capability is unpredictable

Improvement is needed in
• Project management
• Quality assurance
• Change control

Repeatable:

• Project management is well defined .
• Project commitments are realistic .
• Cost and schedule are tracked based on similar projects done in the past.
• Formal configuration control mechanisms are in place.
• Project planning and tracking is formal.
• Results are repeatable.

Key Process Areas

• Software Configuration Management
• Software Quality Assurance
• Subcontract Management
• Project Tracking and Oversight
• Project Planning
• Requirements Management

Defined

Standardized Software Process
Software Process Group exists in the organization
• Takes ownership
• Each step is carefully defined with verifiable entrance and exit criteria.
• Methodologies for performing the step
• Verification mechanism for the output of a step
Development and management processes are formal

Key Process Areas

• Peer Reviews
• Intergroup coordination
• Training Programs
• Integrated software management
• Organization preocess definition
• Organization process focus

Managed

• Quantitative goals exist for both processes and products
• Measurement plays a key role
• Results can be predicted in quantitative terms

KPAs

• Software Quality management
• Quantitative process management

Optimizing

• Focus is on continuous process improvement based on quantitative feedback
• Data collection is done periodically and routine analysis is performed to identify areas that need strengthening.