This page was last updated January 11, 2007

Capability Maturity Model Integrated

Software companies are implementing an organized formal approach to software engineering. This is based on the Software Engineering Institute's (SEI) Capability Maturity Model Integrated (CMMI). The CMMI 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 those processes.

5 levels of capability in this model
Every software company begins at level one. As the company's control and organization of the SW engineering process improves it is moved up. It is very difficult to move from one level to the next. A company must meet certain standards, have in place certain standard process, and be certified by SEI before they can claim to be working at a certain level. The levels are:

1. Initial
	At this state you just get the job done. There are few standards and the effort is frequently chaotic. Success depends on individual effort and heroics. There are no standards. Every company is considered to be working on this level if they have received no certification from SEI.
2. Repeatable
	Basic project management processes are established to track cost, schedule, and functionality. Standard process are used (stated steps in the SW development process, standard document templates, etc.) to insure the ability to repeat earlier successes.
3. Defined
	The company uses a standardized process for both management and SW engineering activities. There is a documented, standardized, published approach to be followed for each development activity. All projects must follow this approved process.
4. Managed
	Detailed measures of the SW development process and product quality are kept. The entire SW development process is very controlled.
5. Optimizing
	Continuous process improvement is conducted by using quantitative feedback from the SW development process. This feedback is used to lead to innovative ideas and technologies.