Process Maturity Profile - Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the SEI certify organizations at a certain maturity level?
Can the SEI help me verify the identity of an organization or its maturity level?
Why should I report my appraisal results to the SEI?
Where can I get a copy of the forms for reporting an appraisal?
Does the SEI certify organizations at a certain maturity level?
The SEI does not "certify" organizations.
The SEI only licenses and authorizes lead appraisers to conduct appraisals.
Neither the SEI nor any other organization is a "certifying authority" of the results from an appraisal. The correct terminology, if an organization wishes to announce that it has had an appraisal, is: "X organization has been appraised at Level X of the Capability Maturity Model (type: i.e. for Software, Integration, etc.) by an SEI-authorized Lead Appraiser."
For most models developed by the SEI there are two basic appraisal methods:
- for Self Improvement
- for Evaluation
The second can be performed by an organization, if they wish, for source selection and verification of another organization's appraisal results/maturity level.
Maintaining a certain maturity status is a continuous process. Therefore, once a certain level is reached, appraisals are still necessary to know if the maturity is being maintained over time.
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Can the SEI help me verify the identity of an organization or its maturity level?
No. We ask that you do not contact the SEI to ask about the identity, maturity, or any other private information about an organization or its appraisal results.
All appraisals reported to the SEI are treated as proprietary and confidential. An appraisal's results are owned by the appraisal sponsor; accordingly, the sponsor may publicize this information at their discretion. At no time will specific individuals, organizations, or projects be named in SEI publications or presentations without permission.
If the organization prefers to formalize the confidentiality of the appraisal being reported to the SEI, the lead appraiser can use the: Non-Disclosure Letter and SEI Non-Disclosure Agreement.
A list of organizations who have publicly announced their maturity levels is available through the SEI Web site.
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When I look through the Process Maturity Profile, I notice that many of the slides have differing numbers of "based on" results. Why is that?
Organizations report their appraisal results to the SEI using a specific form. The answers on this form are used to generate the Process Maturity Profiles. If a question on the form is left blank, it will be reflected in the number of "Based on" results in each category. As a result, each chart in the profile reflects the varying number of organizations that responded to a particular question.
When your organization reports its appraisal results to the SEI, please take your time answering the questions on the form. The category breakdown of the information can only be performed when these questions are answered completely and accurately.
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Why should I report my appraisal results to the SEI?
Please see Reporting Appraisals to the SEI for more information.
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Where can I get a copy of the forms for reporting an appraisal?
Please see Reporting Appraisals to the SEI for more information.
For More Information
If you have questions or comments, send e-mail to SEI Customer Relations customer-relations@sei.cmu.edu.
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