typically requires four to eight people plus a Lead Appraiser for 5 to 10 days, depending on the complexity and scope of the appraisal. Teams are recommended to have a mix of organization and outside members. Because of the considerable cost associated with formal appraisals, they must be scheduled to provide maximum benefit to the organization. The normal output of a CMMI appraisal is a findings briefing which includes Process Area strengths and weaknesses and Process Maturity Level satisfaction. A written final report is optional.

is a reduced-scale appraisal where a trained and experienced appraiser from outside the organization, working with organization personnel, reviews the documented processes and implementation evidence and conducts several group interviews. The purpose of the mini-appraisal is to provide an independent verification of self-appraisal results and provide suggestions for improvements based on an independent review. The mini-appraisal findings are generally quite accurate.

requires a trained and experienced Lead Appraiser who provides CMMI® training and administers a self-appraisal in a group setting with selected organization members. The purpose of the MSA is to ensure that an organization understands the meaning and intent of the model and to provide an independent validation of the self-appraisal results. Accuracy of MSA findings tends to be fair, with the cost and organization disruption being low. The MSA is quite useful as an initial organization activity to provide understanding of the model and the organization’s processes at a relatively low cost.