We welcome ideas about ways to update CMMI models to reflect current thinking and methods and best meet the needs of user organizations. To communicate your ideas, submit change requests using the change request forms or the comment form.

CMMI for Acquisition directly addresses the objectives of acquisition reform. Further, CMMI Product Suite objectives are consistent with the tenets of acquisition reform. CMMI emphasizes an integrated systems view, which is also emphasized in various acquisition reform initiatives. The concept of performance-based acquisition is also reflected in the CMMI concept. CMMI enhances an organization's ability to manage risk and improve internal processes, both of which are integral to acquisition reform.

The term “high maturity” refers to the process areas Causal Analysis and Resolution (CAR), Organizational Performance Management (OPM), Organizational Process Performance (OPP), and Quantitative Project/Work Management (QPM/QWM). The practices in these process areas cover making decisions based on performance data.

High maturity includes selecting the right measurement data to collect and what to do with that measurement data to support effective decision making about the business that will improve performance stability and predictability. The appropriate measurements and analysis enable the organization to understand its processes well enough to optimize them and affect the bottom line.

CMMI models define a “constellation” as a collection of CMMI components that are used to construct models, training materials, and appraisal related documents for an area of interest (e.g., acquisition, development, services). Each constellation has one CMMI model associated with it, the SCAMPI appraisal method, and multiple courses.

• Architecture. All CMMI models have three parts: an introduction, the process areas and generic goals and practices, and the appendices. All CMMI models contain multiple process areas that each have a purpose statement, one or more goals, and multiple specific practices. They all have generic goals and practices that apply to all process areas. There are other similarities, but you get the idea.
• Core process areas. All CMMI models share 16 core process areas. These process areas are tailored for each model, but contain essentially the same information in each. For more details, see CMMI Process Areas.

The word “acquisition” in the CMMI for Acquisition model refers to interactions with suppliers. Others may call it supplier management, supply chain management, procurement, purchasing, sourcing, or outsourcing. In short, this model helps you work with suppliers to ensure smooth and effective operation when depending on them to supply products and services critical to your business.

Also attending a CMMI class is a great way to talk with individuals that are using CMMI.  Students are typically at multiple stages in their organizations process improvement journey.  Some are just getting started whereas others may attend a class to meet a pre-requisite to be an appraisal team member on a high-maturity appraisal.

Unless you are trying to get a level to qualify for a contract that specifies what they require, the choice of whether to measure your progress using maturity levels or capability levels is entirely up to you. There are a few issues that may influence your decision.

First, when you “get a level” you are in reality conducting a CMMI appraisal (called a SCAMPI A appraisal). Such an appraisal requires selecting a CMMI model and the scope of the organization to be appraised. In addition, you must determine what results you want from the appraisal.

Capability levels apply to your organization’s process improvement achievement in individual process areas. The four capability levels are numbered 0 through 3. For example, your appraisal results may show that the part of the organization you appraised is capability level 3 for Configuration Management, but capability level 2 for Decision Analysis and Resolution.

Maturity levels apply to your organization’s process improvement achievement in multiple process areas. These levels are a means of improving the processes corresponding to a given set of process areas (i.e., maturity level). The five maturity levels are numbered 1 through 5. The maturity level applies to the scope of the organization that was appraised (e.g., three projects, a department, a division).

CMMI models define a “process area” as a cluster of related practices in an area that, when implemented collectively, satisfies a set of goals considered important for making improvement in that area. See CMMI Process Areas for more information.

All of these SEI products are models, but they serve different purposes. When people refer to CMMI, they could be talking about any of the three CMMI models: CMMI for Development (CMMI-DEV), CMMI for Services (CMMI-SVC), or CMMI for Acquisition (CMMI-ACQ).

CMMI-DEV is used to improve engineering and development processes in an organization that develops products or services. CMMI-SVC is used to improve resource management and service delivery processes in an organization that manages and delivers services. CMMI-ACQ is used to improve supplier management processes in an organization that deals with multiple suppliers for its business.

The People CMM is used to improve workforce management in any organization. SGMM, also known as Smart Grid, is used by utility companies to help them manage and deliver utilities effectively and efficiently. CERT-RMM, also known as the CERT Resilience Management Model, is used in organizations to improve their operational resilience management.

In CMMI, these concepts are separated into two process areas to stress that both should be included in development activities. Both are applicable throughout the development lifecycle. The difference between the two can be seen in the purpose of the test or activity.

Verification ensures that you are building a product according to its requirements, specifications, and standards. For Verification, you should ask the following questions:

• Are you meeting the specified requirements?
• Are you building the product right?

Validation ensures that your product will be usable once it is in its intended environment. For Validation, you should ask the following questions:

• Are you meeting the operational need?
• Does this product meet its intended use in the intended environment?
• Are you building the right product?
  

Process performance baselines and models (described in the OPM process area) summarize the historical performance of selected processes (or subprocesses). Process performance baselines are often represented as statistical summaries (e.g., mean and variation) of how a process or subprocess has performed across the organization (appropriately normalized, for example, for work product or task size).

Process performance models are often represented as predictive models (e.g. Regression, Correlation, Analysis of Variance, Chi-Square Analysis, Logistic Regression, Discrete Event, and Monte Carlo simulation modeling) that indicate the statistical relationship among measures of selected process or work product attributes from different lifecycle phases.

Both process performance models and baselines are used in project planning to assess the impact of including certain processes and subprocesses in the project's defined process (described in the QPM process area) on the achievement of the project's quality and process performance objectives.

Process performance models are used during project execution to estimate and predict the value of process performance measures in later lifecycle phases of the project from other measures now available. They are used both at the beginning of the project and regularly thereafter to determine whether the project is on track to achieve its quality and process performance objectives.

Process performance baselines and models are important to achieving CL and ML 4 because they, together with quantitative objectives for quality and process performance and statistical management of selected subprocesses, are important to quantitatively managing project performance.

Process performance baselines and models support the OID process area by identifying and understanding innovative approaches and the relationship to the current organizational performance.