Principles of Capability Maturity Model (CMM)

  • People’s capability is a competitive issue. Competition arises when different organizations are performing the same task (such as software development). In such a case, the people of an organization are sources of strategy and skills, which in turn results in better performance of the organization.
  • The people’s capability should be defined by the business objectives of the organization.
  • An organization should invest in improving the capabilities and skills of the people as they are important for its success.
  • The management should be responsible for enhancing the capability of the people in the organization.
  • The improvement in the capability of people should be done as a process. This process should incorporate appropriate practices and procedures.
  • The organization should be responsible for providing improvement opportunities so that people can take advantage of them.
  • Since new technologies and organizational practices emerge rapidly, organizations should continually improve their practices and develop the abilities of people.

Capability Maturity Model (CMM) – Software Engineering

Capability Maturity Model (CMM) was developed by the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) at Carnegie Mellon University in 1987. It is not a software process model. It is a framework that is used to analyze the approach and techniques followed by any organization to develop software products. It also provides guidelines to enhance further the maturity of the process used to develop those software products.

Table of Content

  • Importance of Capability Maturity Model
  • Principles of Capability Maturity Model (CMM)
  • Shortcomings of the Capability Maturity Model (CMM)
  • Key Process Areas (KPA)
  • Levels of Capability Maturity Model (CMM)
  • Case-Studies Capability Maturity Model (CMM):
  • CMM (Capability Maturity Model) vs CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integration)
  • Levels of CMMI
  • Questions For Practice
  • FAQs on the Capability Maturity Model

It is based on profound feedback and development practices adopted by the most successful organizations worldwide. This model describes a strategy for software process improvement that should be followed by moving through 5 different levels. Each level of maturity shows a process capability level. All the levels except level 1 are further described by Key Process Areas (KPA).

Similar Reads

Importance of Capability Maturity Model

Optimization of Resources: CMM helps businesses make the best use of all of their resources, including money, labor, and time. Organizations can improve the effectiveness of resource allocation by recognizing and getting rid of unproductive practices. Comparing and Evaluating: A formal framework for benchmarking and self-evaluation is offered by CMM. Businesses can assess their maturity levels, pinpoint their advantages and disadvantages, and compare their performance to industry best practices. Management of Quality: CMM emphasizes quality management heavily. The framework helps businesses apply best practices for quality assurance and control, which raises the quality of their goods and services. Enhancement of Process: CMM gives businesses a methodical approach to evaluate and enhance their operations. It provides a road map for gradually improving processes, which raises productivity and usefulness. Increased Output: CMM seeks to boost productivity by simplifying and optimizing processes. Organizations can increase output and efficiency without compromising quality as they go through the CMM levels....

Principles of Capability Maturity Model (CMM)

People’s capability is a competitive issue. Competition arises when different organizations are performing the same task (such as software development). In such a case, the people of an organization are sources of strategy and skills, which in turn results in better performance of the organization. The people’s capability should be defined by the business objectives of the organization. An organization should invest in improving the capabilities and skills of the people as they are important for its success. The management should be responsible for enhancing the capability of the people in the organization. The improvement in the capability of people should be done as a process. This process should incorporate appropriate practices and procedures. The organization should be responsible for providing improvement opportunities so that people can take advantage of them. Since new technologies and organizational practices emerge rapidly, organizations should continually improve their practices and develop the abilities of people....

Shortcomings of the Capability Maturity Model (CMM)

It encourages the achievement of a higher maturity level in some cases by displacing the true mission, which is improving the process and overall software quality. It only helps if it is put into place early in the software development process. It has no formal theoretical basis and in fact, is based on the experience of very knowledgeable people. It does not have good empirical support and this same empirical support could also be constructed to support other models. Difficulty in measuring process improvement: The SEI/CMM model may not provide an accurate measure of process improvement, as it relies on self-assessment by the organization and may not capture all aspects of the development process. Focus on documentation rather than outcomes: The SEI/CMM model may focus too much on documentation and adherence to procedures, rather than on actual outcomes such as software quality and customer satisfaction. May not be suitable for all types of organizations: The SEI/CMM model may not be suitable for all kinds of organizations, particularly those with smaller development teams or those with less structured development processes. May not keep up with rapidly evolving technologies: The SEI/CMM model may not be able to keep up with rapidly evolving technologies and development methodologies, which could limit its usefulness in certain contexts. Lack of agility: The SEI/CMM model may not be agile enough to respond quickly to changing business needs or customer requirements, which could limit its usefulness in dynamic and rapidly changing environments....

Key Process Areas (KPA)

Each of these KPA (Key Process Areas) defines the basic requirements that should be met by a software process to satisfy the KPA and achieve that level of maturity....

Levels of Capability Maturity Model (CMM)

There are 5 levels of Capability Maturity Models. We will discuss each one of them in detail....

Case-Studies Capability Maturity Model (CMM):

1. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)...

CMM (Capability Maturity Model) vs CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integration)

Aspects Capability Maturity Model (CMM) Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Scope Primarily focused on software engineering processes. Expands to various disciplines like systems engineering, hardware development, etc. Maturity Levels Had a five-level maturity model (Level 1 to Level 5). Initially had a staged representation; it introduced continuous representation later. Flexibility More rigid structure with predefined practices. Offers flexibility to tailor process areas to organizational needs. Adoption and Popularity Gained popularity in the software development industry. Gained wider adoption across industries due to broader applicability....

Levels of CMMI

There are 5 performance levels of the CMMI Model....

Questions For Practice

1. Capability Maturity Model (CMM) is the methodology to [ISRO 2017]...

FAQs on the Capability Maturity Model

Q.1: How does the Capability Maturity Model give benefit to the Organization?...