What is CMMI ?

Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) is a process improvement approach that provides organizations with the essential elements of effective processes. It can be used to guide process improvement across a project, a division, or an entire organization. CMMI helps integrate traditionally separate organizational functions, set process improvement goals and priorities, provide guidance for quality processes, and provide a point of reference for appraising current processes.

Worldwide Adoption

The SEI is excited about the response that organizations around the world are having to the CMMI Product Suite. CMMI is being adopted worldwide, including North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, South America, and Africa. This kind of response has substantiated the SEI's commitment to the CMMI models and the Standard CMMI Appraisal Method for Process Improvement (SCAMPI).

SCAMPI incorporates the best ideas of several process-improvement appraisal methods. The SCAMPI Class A method is being used successfully by many organizations. The emerging SCAMPI Class B and Class C methods will extend the suite of SCAMPI methods.

Benefits of Process Improvement

The following are some of the benefits and business reasons for implementing process improvement:

• The quality of a system is highly influenced by the quality of the process used to acquire, develop, and maintain it.
• Process improvement increases product and service quality as organizations apply it to achieve their business objectives.
• Process improvement objectives are aligned with business objectives.

CMMI Benefits

The CMMI Product Suite is at the forefront of process improvement because it provides the latest best practices for product and service development and maintenance. The CMMI models improve the best practices of previous models in many important ways. CMMI best practices enable organizations to do the following:

• more explicitly link management and engineering activities to their business objectives
• expand the scope of and visibility into the product lifecycle and engineering activities to ensure that the product or service meets customer expectations
• incorporate lessons learned from additional areas of best practice (e.g., measurement, risk management, and supplier management)
• implement more robust high-maturity practices
• address additional organizational functions critical to their products and services
• more fully comply with relevant ISO standards