What is CMMI? An overview of the CMMI Family.

The Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) is published by the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) of the Carnegie Mellon University. CMMI is a family of process models, each of which addresses a specific domain. Currently there are three CMMI models:

• CMMI for Development (CMMI-DEV) supports improvements in organizations that develop software, systems and hardware themselves;

• CMMI for Acquisition (CMMI-ACQ) supports improvements in organizations that acquire software, systems or hardware from third-party vendors.

• CMMI for Services (CMMI-SVC) supports improvements in organizations that deliver services, e.g. healthcare, logistic or consulting organizations.

There is also an integration of ITIL with CMMI:

• CMMI for IT Operations (CITIL = CMMI+ITIL) is an integration of ITIL into the framework of CMMI models. The combination of ITIL and CMMI allows IT Operations to benefit from the proven practices from CMMI. In addition, this combination covers the full product lifecycle and provides a common language and defined interfaces between operations and development.

Online CMMI Browser

Read all CMMI models in the wibas CMMI Browser at www.cmmi.de.

Structure of CMMI

All CMMI models have the same structure and share common elements, e.g. the process improvement, support or project management processes.

The CMMI models are structured into a set of process areas which cover the practices relevant to development, acquisition or service organizations. A Capability Level can be attained for each process area; the Capability Level describes the degree to which the work in the this process area has been established in an organization. CMMI models also have Maturity Levels. The Maturity Levels prescribe a logical sequence for improving processes, they represent a yardstick against which a development organization can be assessed, and they are a recognized award in the industry.

CMMI for Development is well established as the de-facto standard for the development of software, systems, and hardware products.

CMMI Training: official training, supervised by the SEI

Trainings for CMMI are:

• Introduction to CMMI v1.2 (3 days)

• Services Supplement for CMMI (1 day)

• Acquisition Supplement (1 day)

There are additional trainings for members of Assesments teams, assessment leaders and CMMI instructors.

SCAMPI Appraisals: a recognized Achievement

There are three distinct sizes of SCAMPI Appraisals. A SCAMPI A is comprehensive and detailed; it allows a publication of the resulting Capability Levels and Maturity Levels that are internationally recognized. SCAMPI B and SCAMPI C are less extensive and detailed. They are used for gap analysis as a support for a process improvement program. Official SCAMPI A Appraisals can only be performed by authorized SEI Lead Appraisers.