Capability Maturity Model Integration

The Capability Maturity Model Integration ( CMMI short ) is a family of reference models for different application areas - currently for product development, product purchasing, and service provision. A CMMI model is a systematic treatment of best practices to support the improvement of an organization. A CMMI model may be used to

  • To get an overview of good practices (eg in project planning )
  • To analyze the strengths and weaknesses of an organization objectively or
  • To determine improvement measures and to bring in a useful order.

Primarily, the CMMI models are a means to improve the work of an organization. Secondary are official inspections of sophistication ( see Appraisal) an industry-recognized de facto distinction. CMMI is therefore often referred to as maturity model, although the maturity levels are only one aspect among many of CMMI.

All CMMI models ( " Constellation" called ) have the same structure and a common core content. Currently there are three published CMMI models:

  • The " CMMI for Development" (CMMI -DEV ) develop support the improvement of organizations, software, systems or hardware.
  • The " CMMI for Acquisition " (CMMI -ACQ ) supports the improvement of organizations, software, systems or hardware to buy, but not even develop.
  • The " CMMI for Services " (CMMI -SVC ) supports the improvement of organizations that provide services.

Historical Development

Classification of the CMMI models

The CMMI models are reference models that summarize best practices. In contrast to a concrete process model, a CMMI model defines basic practices such as a good product development ( the "what" ), but no concrete steps ( the "how" ). The primary goal of the CMMI models is to support continuous process improvement by practices or criteria are defined by a professional organization. The concrete and adequate arrangement of the work or operation is responsible for the organization and is an important sub-task of process improvement. Since CMMI defines no specific procedure, CMMI can be applied to very different organizations and sizes of organization. Thus, for example, the requirement of CMMI that during the project planning approval of the project participants (stakeholders) must be obtained for the project plan be put into practice in an organization in a very different way. Therefore, there is not "the one " right CMMI implementation.

A special feature of the CMMI models is that they are received not only on the technical practices, but also to the support functions of the organization, such as resource deployment or implementation of training measures. Another special feature is that CMMI much emphasis on the lived process and so in contrast to those - often called a " cabinet goods " referred to - processes is that documents, but are not lived.

Construction of a CMMI model

A CMMI model defines a set of process areas (eg project planning, requirements development, organization-wide process definition ). A process area (Process Area) specified objectives and best practices of professional work. Example: During the process area " project planning" means the goals are " estimates up ", " a project Plan," and " commitment to the plan happen". The practices to the target " develop estimates " are " scope of the project estimate," "Attributes of the work products and tasks estimate," " project life cycle define " and " develop estimates of effort and cost ." For the process areas, goals and practices of CMMI are each additional explanatory information. For example, each process area is first explained and enumerated other related process areas. Then the objectives and practices are listed. Each practice is illustrated by an explanatory text, through a typical work results and by typical steps further. These notes should help with the implementation, but are not Fulfilled in an assessment ( appraisal ).

The process areas are divided into categories. In all three CMMI models are:

  • Project Management (Project Management ) or in the CMMI for Services Labor Management ( Work Management )
  • Support ( Support )
  • Process Management ( Process Management).

The process areas of these categories are basically similar in the three CMMI models, however, the process areas differ in part. Thus saith eg, CMMI for Services of labor management and CMMI for Development of project management, since services are often typically implemented by teams and developments through projects.

Process management and process improvement are primarily an organization-wide task. The process areas in the category support be project-specific or team specific, implemented across the organization in some organizations in some organizations.

Each of the three CMMI models has one more category specific to the application area of ​​process areas are included:

  • When CMMI for Development: Development (Engineering )
  • When CMMI for Acquisition: Procurement ( Acquisition)
  • In the CMMI for Services: Establishment and delivery of services (Service Establishment and Delivery )

This structure in the CMMI models of common categories and specific categories is one of the great benefits of CMMI. On the one hand the specific issues to be addressed (such as services ), on the other hand, can be seamlessly integrated CMMI models by the common core and the common structure combined. The latter is particularly interesting for organizations that provide, for example both development and services (eg, IT development and IT services, or development of cars and servicing of cars ) the. Such organizations see the CMMI family a coordinated set of models, so that improvements can be across " thought ".

Process areas of CMMI for Development Version 1.3

The following table lists the process areas of CMMI for Development Version 1.3 - and the assignment of the process areas to categories, and levels of maturity.

Institutionalization and capability levels

Besides the professional practices that are specific to a process area, CMMI also speaks explicitly to the issue of institutionalization. With " institutionalization " is meant that the working methods to be lived in the organization of course and as part of daily work. Especially in times of stress have institutionalized ways of working stock. Besides the professional practices of CMMI defines practices that implement the institutionalization. These practices to institutionalize be called generic practices (Generic Practices), as they are the same for all process areas. The implementation of many generic practices is an object of the organization.

CMMI describes the degree of maturity of an individual process area by so-called " capability levels " ( capability levels ). A skill level refers to the degree of institutionalization of a single process area. The capability levels are ( since version 1.3):

The generic practices and ability levels are at the core of CMMI and are identical in all CMMI models.

Maturity levels

In addition to the levels of ability of an individual process area CMMI defines " maturity levels " ( maturity levels ). A maturity level comprises a set of process areas that need to be established with the maturity corresponding to the capability level. Each maturity level is an evolutionary plateau of process improvement in the organization. CMMI thus provides a means for the improvement by prioritizes the process with respect to their improvement. The maturity levels are:

The maturity levels are basically the same in all CMMI models, but the assignment of the process areas of the five maturity levels is specific for each CMMI model ( since each CMMI model contains different process areas ).

The assessment of the maturity level or capability level of an organization is done through a SCAMPI investigation ( SCAMPI Appraisal), which can be conducted only by authorized persons by the SEI. The list of all authorized by the SEI Lead Appraiser, ie those persons who may conduct such a SCAMPI, can be found on the sides of the Software Engineering Institute (see links below). The German- authorized Lead Appraisers have joined forces in German CMMI Lead Appraiser and Instructor Board ( CLIB ).

CMMI and CMM

CMMI has the software Capability Maturity Model replaced (short SW-CMM or just shortened CMM). CMM has been discontinued by the SEI and is no longer supported. CMMI replaced not only different quality models for different development disciplines (eg for software or system development ), but integrates them into a new, modular model. This modular concept allows for an integration of further development disciplines (eg, hardware development ), on the other hand the application of the quality model in cross- disciplines ( eg development of chips with software).

Goal orientation and incorrect use of CMMI

For successful use of CMMI a concrete improvement goal is imperative.

With a concrete improvement target CMMI is a very useful support for the improvement. CMMI helps deliberately go through the relevant practices in which the central question is whether these practices are for the purposes of improving objective under control or whether optimization makes sense. An example of an implementation of CMMI with leanness and efficiency improvement targets, for example, Scrum, which provides project and requirements management methods.

Without an improvement goal, an organization can only achieve improvements by chance - with or without CMMI. On the contrary, improvements without a destination can quickly generate bureaucracy when practices aimlessly (and then for safety's sake than met ) be implemented.

Studies show that organizations that successfully implement improvements and with aim of providing a return on investment of 4:1 achieve (see pages SEI ). But studies (eg McKinsey ) also show that about 70 % of all improvement projects have little or no negative impact because they are aimless, or are not implemented (regardless of CMMI, which applies to all change and improvement projects).

Demarcation from other standards

In contrast to DIN EN ISO 9001 CMMI models are specific to a practice in a particular area of ​​application.

While the DIN EN ISO 9001 the entire organization and thus more covering the width, CMMI is made ​​on practical activities far more in depth and provides specific process areas and practices. However, the CMMI models and the DIN EN ISO 9001 have the same basic idea. The requirements of the CMMI models can be mapped to the requirements of DIN EN ISO 9001 (this table is available on the SEI Web pages).

The CMMI models set the requirements of ISO / IEC 15504 (SPICE ) to a process model. The appraisal process SCAMPI sets the requirements of ISO / IEC 15504 on an evaluation method for partially.

In addition to the CMMI models, there is also the process model standards ISO / IEC 12207 and ISO 15288 for software system development. In contrast to these two CMMI standards go but not on the definition of the title of the practices of CMMI addition ( no extensive explanations as in CMMI). There is also no integration between the two standards. Demand for content in ISO / IEC 12207 and ISO 15288 is essentially the same as CMMI for Development (CMMI -DEV ). There is to the standard ISO 12207 in ISO / IEC 15504 (SPICE ) Part 5 exemplarily defined, CMMI - independent assessment methods ( engl. "process assessment model" ).

CMMI for Development (CMMI -DEV ) is used for the development of products or for maintenance projects on existing products. The CMMI for Services (CMMI -SVC ) is used for organizations that provide services. CMMI -SVC addresses all types of service organizations. For IT operations organizations provides CMMI for Services is an alternative to ITIL dar. Compared to ITIL CMMI for Services is aggregated higher. CMMI for Services and CMMI for Development can be integrated with each other so that together they cover the entire product lifecycle.

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