The purpose of the CMMI® models is to provide guidance for improving your organization's processes and your ability to manage the development, acquisition, and maintenance of products and services. CMMI® places proven practices into a structure that helps your organization assess its organizational maturity and process area capability, establish priorities for improvement, and guide the implementation of these improvements.
The CMMI® Product Suite springs from a framework that generates multiple integrated models, courses, and an appraisal method. As new material is added to the framework, more integrated models and supporting materials will become available that cover additional disciplines. Discipline and process improvement experts from industry, government, and the SEI joined together to develop the CMMI® Framework, CMMI® models, and supporting products.
CMMI® Version 1.1 of the CMMI was released in December of 2001. Version 1.2 was released in August 2006, along with upgraded training and a corresponding Version 1.2 of the SCAMPISM method. The model framework and structure have since been revised to incorporate three constellations based on particular areas of interest: product development, acquisition, and services. Version 1.3 of the model, appraisal, and training suite of materials is anticipated to be released in 2010.
CMMI-DEV is a process improvement maturity model for the development of products. It consists of best practices that address development and maintenance activities that cover the product lifecycle from conception through delivery and maintenance. This latest iteration of the model integrates bodies of knowledge that are essential for development and maintenance, but that have been addressed separately in the past, such as software engineering, systems engineering, hardware and design engineering, the engineering “-ilities,” and acquisition.
CMMI-ACQ provides guidance to acquisition organizations for initiating and managing the acquisition of products and services that meet the needs of the customer. The model focuses on acquirer processes and integrates bodies of knowledge that are essential for successful acquisitions. The objective of the CMMI-ACQ model is to influence the outcome of the acquisition process, delivering the right capabilities to operational users on schedule and at predictable costs through the disciplined application of efficient and effective acquisition processes. Go to http://www.sei.cmu.edu/cmmi/models/ACQ-v12-announce.html and http://www.sei.cmu.edu/publications/documents/07.reports/07tr017.html for more information on the Acquisition constellation.
CMMI-SVC is a model designed to cover the activities required to manage, establish, and deliver services. The CMMI-SVC constellation provides guidance for the application of CMMI best practices and integrates bodies of knowledge that are essential for a service provider. Best practices in the model focus on activities for providing quality services to customers and end users. MDM is certified to both teach and appraise using the CMMI-SVC constellation. For information on obtaining a copy of the MDM CMMI Goals and Practices Quick Reference Guide which includes the CMMI-SVC constellation click here. To download a copy of the CMMI-SVC constellation go to http://www.sei.cmu.edu/publications/documents/09.reports/09tr001.html. For information on the status of the CMMI-SVC constellation project go to http://www.sei.cmu.edu/cmmi/models/CMMI-Services-status.html.
The CMM® or SW-CMM® is a model for judging the maturity of the software processes of an organization and for identifying the key practices that are required to increase the maturity of these processes. While the Software CMM® is no longer supported by SEI, MDM can offer consulting support for organizations desiring to continue to use it as their model of choice.
The People CMM® is a framework that helps organizations successfully address their critical people issues. Based on the best current practices in fields such as human resources, knowledge management, and organizational development, the People CMM® guides organizations in improving their processes for managing and developing their work forces. The People CMM® helps organizations characterize the maturity of their workforce practices, establish a program of continuous workforce development, set priorities for improvement actions, integrate workforce development with process improvement, and establish a culture of excellence. Since its release in 1995, thousands of copies of the People CMM® have been distributed, and it is used worldwide.
The People CMM® consists of five maturity levels that establish successive foundations for continuously improving individual competencies, developing effective teams, motivating improved performance, and shaping the workforce the organization needs to accomplish its future business plans. Each maturity level is a well-defined evolutionary plateau that institutionalizes new capabilities for developing the organization's workforce. By following the maturity framework, an organization can avoid introducing workforce practices that its employees are unprepared to implement effectively.
There are a variety of ISO standards addressing various aspects of process improvement.
New products and services from the SEI include the new certification for SCAMPISM Lead Appraisers and the CMMI constellation for services (CMMI-SVC) which was released in March 2009.