No. The SW-CMM is the intellectual property of Carnegie Mellon University. Any person or organization that produces works that build on the intellectual property of Carnegie Mellon must formally obtain permission to use that intellectual property. The SEI is the steward of all CMM-related intellectual property produced within Carnegie Mellon. Therefore, another organization that wished to release a new version by building on an SEI-developed CMM would have to gain SEI agreement to do so, and Carnegie Mellon will sanction no such work.

CMMI for Development covers the acquisition discipline as it relates to product development and maintenance, which includes the use of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products and outsourcing.

The CMMI Acquisition Module (CMMI-AM) builds on relevant best practices extracted from the CMMI Framework to define effective and efficient practices for government acquisition organizations. This is a non-appraisable element of the CMMI Product Suite.

CMMI for Acquisition (CMMI-ACQ), a CMMI model designed for acquisition organizations, is planned for release in 2007. An initial draft of the model is now available.

The Software Acquisition Capability Maturity Model (SA-CMM) is a capability maturity model for organizations that acquire solutions such as hardware, software, services, and systems. It is used to appraise an organization's process maturity and help improve its acquisition processes.

 No. To receive a maturity or capability level rating, an acquisition organization would need to be appraised against a CMMI model, not the CMMI-AM, using a Class A appraisal method such as SCAMPI A. However, the CMMI-AM can be used to perform a less formal gap analysis on an acquisition project that would result in the identification of strengths, weaknesses, risks, and improvement opportunities to help the acquisition project establish an acquisition process improvement program.

 No. Even though some CMMI process areas are applicable to activities performed by both the acquisition program office personnel and the developer (e.g., requirements development), the process areas and amplifications in the CMMI-AM are focused on defining and improving acquisition processes to be used by the acquisition program office personnel to accomplish the acquirer's activities across the lifecycle of the system or service development. This focus includes coverage of activities performed only by acquisition organization program office personnel (e.g., solicitation preparation) as well as contractor monitoring and insight activities performed by the acquisition organization.

 No. The CMMI-AM is not an organizational process improvement maturity model like CMMI or the SA-CMM. The CMMI-AM's focus is at the acquisition program office personnel level.

More information can be found on the ISO Web site at http://www.iso.org.

Organizations that become SEI Partners for SCAMPI (Standard CMMI Appraisal Method for Process Improvement) with People CMM appraisal services can sponsor candidates to become SEI-authorized SCAMPI Lead Appraisers. Candidates who successfully complete the process outlined below will be authorized to train appraisal teams and lead appraisals on behalf of SEI Partner organizations.

Individuals who wish to become Authorized SCAMPI with People CMM Lead Appraisers must meet the following requirements:

• ensure that their organizations have applied to become transition partners for SCAMPI appraisal services, have been accepted, and have signed the applicable Carnegie Mellon University/SEI agreement
• have a signed Code of Professional Conduct for SEI Services in place
• have successfully completed the application process to become an Authorized People CMM SCAMPI Lead Appraiser that consists of
• • participation as an appraisal team member on at least one SCAMPI A appraisal with People CMM within the prior 24 months
  • at least ten years of management, human resources, or organizational development experience
  • a minimum of two years of experience managing technical personnel
  • an advanced degree in a related management area or equivalent experience
• have successfully completed the Introduction to People CMM course
• have successfully completed the Intermediate Concepts of People CMM course
• have successfully completed the SCAMPI Lead Appraiser Training for People CMM
• have successfully been observed leading a SCAMPI Appraisal with People CMM

The listing of authorized People CMM Lead Assessors who are still using the soon to be sunsetted People CMM Appraisal Method can be found at http://www.sei.cmu.edu/cmm-p/directory.html#individs2.

Direct links to all People CMM products and services can be found at http://www.sei.cmu.edu/cmm/tools/peoplecmm/. Questions about the Introduction to the People CMM course can be directed to Course Information e-mail: course-info@sei.cmu.edu. Questions about interpreting the People CMM should be directed to Sally Miller, e-mail to sal@sei.cmu.edu. Additionally, the Software Engineering Information Repository (SEIR) contains a People CMM section where users of the model have contributed implementation guidance. You can access the SEIR at https://seir.sei.cmu.edu/seir/.

ISO/IEC 15504 is an independent effort by ISO/IEC. It was inspired by the Software CMM and ISO 9001, but the purpose of 15504 is to harmonize a number of different models (including the Software CMM, CMMI, ISO 9001, ISO 12207, Trillium, Software Technology Diagnostic, and Bootstrap) and assessment methods (including CBA IPI, SCE 3.0, Bootstrap, and SCAMPI). In contrast, ISO 9001 is an established set of requirements for quality management systems.

Because of its inherent subject matter, the People CMM presents a more detailed model for the evolutionary development of workgroups or teams. Nevertheless, the CMMI-DEV+IPPD model and People CMM both focus on process-based workgroup development at maturity level 3, and this was one motivation for creating People CMM version 2. The IPPD materials in CMMI-DEV+IPPD are supported by several process areas in People CMM Version 2 as follows:

Additional People CMM guidance for integrated product development teams can be found in Competency Integration (level 4), Empowered Workgroups (level 4), and Continuous Capability Improvement (level 5). These are high maturity process areas within a staged model, so care should be taken to ensure that an organization has the proper foundation (maturity level 2 and 3) in place to manage successful implementation.

 The SA-CMM and CMMI-ACQ focus on the organization (the buyer or acquirer) that acquires solutions such as software-intensive systems or services. In contrast, CMMI-DEV, as typically interpreted, helps a systems/software development organization (the supplier or developer) mature and increase predictability in the development of software-intensive systems. Sufficient coverage of acquisition is provided so that organizations obtaining critical portions of their products from other organizations can address the critical risks to their success.

 While the SEI feels that the CMMI-AM module captures most of the best practices for acquisition use, it does not provide the full aspects of a process improvement model, with training and appraisal capability. The CMMI Steering Group understood this deficiency and supported the development of the CMMI acquisition "constellation" to remedy this shortfall. Once the CMMI-ACQ has been released and initial appraisals have been performed to confirm its capabilities, the SA-CMM will be retired by the SEI.

To upgrade to CMMI, organizations that are using one or more CMMs should compare their current processes and approach with the CMMI model and create an upgrade strategy that meets their business needs.

Many of the skills used in applying the Software CMM are useful in implementing a CMMI-based process improvement program, since many of the best practices, issues, and improvement approaches are essentially the same. Organizations close to a process improvement milestone using the Software CMM may want to measure their progress before upgrading to CMMI.

More information about upgrading from the Software CMM to CMMI is available at http://www.sei.cmu.edu/cmmi/.

The CMMI-AM is not strictly a subset of a CMMI model since it does not include details such as subpractices and other informative material. It was derived from various sources of best practices including CMMI, SA-CMM, and the experience of acquisition and development communities. Amplifications are provided where useful in applying the guidance to the acquisition role.

Appraisals against People CMM version 1 are no longer accepted. All organizations should use version 2 of the model for guiding improvement programs and appraisal because of its improvements and greater consistency with CMMI.

There are several factors to consider. Do you provide products to a customer who is likely to ask for assessment results generated by a 15504-conformant assessment? Are multiple assessment methods/models used within your enterprise? If one or more of these is the case then 15504 conformance may be relevant.

The People CMM team is migrating to SCAMPI for People CMM Appraisals. Six pilot SCAMPI A appraisals were completed from 2004 to 2006. An interpretive guidance document, Interpreting SCAMPI for a People CMM Appraisal at Tata Consultancy Services has been published and is available on the SEI's Web site at http://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/abstracts/reports/05sr001.cfm.

An Intermediate Concepts of the People CMM Course is available to the public. Information about that course and the necessary prerequisites can be found at http://www.sei.cmu.edu/training/a15.cfm.

A People CMM Instructor Training course is available for those who wish to become SEI-authorized Introduction to People CMM instructors. Information about the course and the prerequisites for taking it can be found at http://www.sei.cmu.edu/training/a18.cfm.

 The SEI continues to work with industry and government to align the CMMI Product Suite closely with 15504. Model changes made in v1.2 have further improved the compatibility of CMMI with ISO 15504. The SEI has reported on joint appraisal efforts with the ISO 15504 editor to confirm the usability of CMMI appraisal documentation in the 15504 framework. The SEI is also working with the international standards community to influence the continued development of 15504 along with key process reference models such as those for ISO 9001, ISO/IEC 12207, and ISO/IEC 15288.

CMMI for Acquisition (CMMI-ACQ), a CMMI model designed for acquisition organizations was released in 2007.

Following the success of CMMI models for development organizations, the need was identified for a CMMI model addressing the government's acquisition environment and industry's increasing use of outsourcing of software intensive systems and services. The initial draft CMMI-ACQ provides process improvement guidance for organizations engaged in acquisition. The practices focus on activities required for supplier sourcing; initiating and awarding supplier agreements; and managing the acquisition of products and services through a set of standard measures, acceptance criteria, and supplier deliverables. The initial draft CMMI-ACQ integrates bodies of knowledge that are essential for an acquirer.

This draft is based on the CMMI version 1.2 architecture and framework which incorporates the concept of constellations. Constellations are groupings of components to support a specific model application such as Development (DEV) or Acquisition (ACQ). This initial draft also is based on the CMMI-AM and SA-CMM.

ISO/IEC 15504 is an international standard for process assessment developed under the auspices of the International Organization for Standardization and the International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC).

During the course of its development, it has evolved from a focus on a single reference model of good software practice to a framework for process appraisal encompassing the field of information technology. It is applicable to multiple disciplines and allows for discipline communities to define their own set of discipline-specific processes and reference models or good practice. It is a framework standard in that it is directed primarily to model and method developers as opposed to off-the-shelf usage.

The full international Standard version of 15504 consists of five documents. 15504-1 (Concepts and Vocabulary), 15504-2 (Performing an Assessment), 15504-3 (Guidance on Performing an Assessment), 15504-4 (Guidance on Use for Process Improvement and Process Capability Determination), and 15504-5 (An Exemplar Process Assessment Model) were published in 2003-2006.

The CMMI Acquisition Module (CMMI-AM) builds on relevant best practices extracted from the CMMI Framework to define effective and efficient practices for government acquisition organizations. These best practices focus on the activities performed by acquisition professionals in the acquisition program office. They also address internal program office activities that support the monitoring and control of development contractors and suppliers. They provide a foundation for acquisition process discipline and rigor that enables product and service development to be repeatedly executed.

The CMMI-AM documents acquisition practices that should be performed by government acquisition projects acquiring systems or services. These practices, however, can also be used by non-government organizations to improve their acquisition or outsourcing practices.

The information in the CMMI-AM can also be used by acquisition organizations that manage several related acquisition projects (e.g., product centers, acquisition commands, Program Executive Officers, Service/Component acquisition executives) to establish an acquisition process improvement program, ensuring the success of projects in their purview.

Many of the acquisition practices and amplifications in the CMMI Acquisition Module (CMMI-AM) are drawn and summarized from existing sources of best practices, including SA-CMM and CMMI as well as additional coverage areas defined by experienced acquisition professionals. The CMMI-AM, as well as the SA-CMM, may be used to help acquisition organizations examine the effectiveness of their processes, establish priorities for their improvement, and implement needed improvement. The CMMI-AM, through its interpretation and explanations, can help acquisition organizations understand the relationship between the SA-CMM and the CMMI, and how to transition easily from SA-CMM-based process improvement to a CMMI-based acquisition process improvement.

 Use of the CMMI-AM in an acquisition program will provide a common language and framework for process improvement across the program office/contractor team. It will align the acquisition program office personnel and the supplier/developer personnel in terms of a common language and process, and by encouraging the recognition of the related roles and responsibilities of each.

The People Capability Maturity Model (People CMM) is a maturity framework that focuses on continuously improving the management and development of the human assets of an organization. It describes an evolutionary improvement path from ad hoc, inconsistently performed practices, to a mature, disciplined, and continuously improving development of the knowledge, skills, and motivation of the workforce that enhances strategic business performance. The People CMM provides guidance to organizations in selecting immediate improvement actions that help organizations

• characterize the maturity of their workforce practices
• set priorities for immediate action
• integrate workforce development with process improvement
• become an employer of choice

With the help of the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) and Capability Maturity Model for Software (SW-CMM), many organizations have made valuable improvements in their software and systems processes and practices. These organizations have also discovered that their continued improvement requires significant changes in the way they manage and develop their people. The People CMM can be coupled with CMM-based software process improvement programs or used on its own to guide improvements in workforce practices or to address strategic human capital objectives.

 The Software Acquisition Capability Maturity Model (SA-CMM) is a capability maturity model for organizations that acquire solutions such as hardware, software, services, and systems. It is used to appraise an organization's process maturity and help improve its acquisition processes. The SA-CMM provides acquisition organizations with guidance on how to gain control of their acquisition processes and helps them to do the following:  

• benchmark the maturity level of the organization's acquisition process through appraisals 
• set senior management goals for process improvement 
• enable prediction of potential acquisition process performance

 Often called "the CMM," the Software CMM was the first capability maturity model. It was adopted by organizations worldwide, primarily by software development companies. The Capability Maturity Model for Software (also known as the CMM and SW-CMM) has been retired, and CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integration) replaces it. The SEI no longer maintains the SW-CMM model, its associated appraisal methods, or training materials, nor does the SEI offer SW-CMM training. All SW-CMM appraisal results from CBA IPI and SCE appraisals will expire on December 31, 2007. After December 31, 2007, all SW-CMM ratings will be considered invalid and should not be advertised.

The SA-CMM will continue to be recognized and used until CMMI for Acquisition (CMMI-ACQ) is released. CMMI for Acquisition, a CMMI model designed for acquisition organizations, is planned to be released in 2007, but an initial draft of the model is now available.

 The lack of quality in management practices for acquisition of solutions, especially for software-intensive solutions, is the major problem these models and modules were designed to solve. The problem is characterized as continued failure of large acquisition and associated development efforts to meet cost, schedule, and/or performance goals. An immature acquisition organization can doom a project to failure as surely as an immature development organization.

Currently there are no plans for a version 3. Version 2 was not released for review until six years after the release of version 1 in 1995. We do not anticipate accelerating the revision cycle unless there is evidence from People CMM improvement programs that significant additions or changes need to be made to the model.

The SEI-authorized Introduction to the People CMM , Intermediate Concepts of the People CMM, People CMM Instructor Training and SCAMPI for People CMM courses are offered by the SEI. For more information on these courses and for a list of scheduled dates, see the SEI Web site at http://www.sei.cmu.edu/training/find/cmmi.cfm.

The SEI-authorized Introduction to the People CMM course is also available from SEI Partner organizations.

People CMM version 2 is only produced in a staged representation. After lengthy review of the literature and experience gathered from implementers on programs to improve workforce practices, the authors determined that these programs often fail when workforce practices are not introduced as a system, but rather are deployed in isolation. For instance, efforts to install empowered teams are likely to fail if compensation practices continue to reward individual performance without recognizing contribution to team performance and team success.

There are no existing plans to integrate the People CMM into CMMI, either directly or by extensions. Currently, the CMMs that have been integrated in CMMI all concern behavior performed in or on behalf of projects, whereas the People CMM concerns behavior performed regularly throughout the organization. Nevertheless, People CMM Version 2 has adopted some of the advances made in the CMMI Framework and has tried to ensure that People CMM improvement programs would integrate with improvement programs guided by CMMI. Enhancing the focus on process abilities in workforce competencies at maturity level 3 and quantitative performance management practices at maturity level 4 will make integrating these various models much easier.

 No, the role of 15504 is to provide a harmonizing framework within which existing or future models and assessment methods can conform. It is not designed or intended for stand-alone use. Therefore, the only choice facing potential users is whether 15504 conformancy is important to their business. If it is, then potential users would need to use methods and models that are 15504 conformant.