Mary Beth Chrissis

Capability maturity model, version 1.1

The capability maturity model (CMM), developed to present sets of recommended practices in a number of key process areas that have been shown to enhance software-development and maintenance capability, is discussed. The CMM was designed to help developers select process-improvement strategies by determining their current process maturity and identifying the issues most critical to improving their software quality and process. The initial release of the CMM, version 1.0, was reviewed and used by the software community during 1991 and 1992. A workshop on CMM 1.0, held in April 1992, was attended by about 200 software professionals. The current version of the CMM is the result of the feedback from that workshop and ongoing feedback from the software community. The technical report that describes version 1.1. is summarised.<<ETX>>

Capability Maturity ModelingSM at the SEI

In 1987, the SEI released a software process maturity framework and maturity questionnaire to support organizations in improving their software process. Four years later, the SEI released the Capability Maturity ModelSM for Software (SW-CMMSM). The SW-CMM has influenced software process improvement worldwide to a significant degree. More recently, the SEI has become involved in developing additional capability maturity models that impact software. This paper discusses the problems these CMMs are trying to address, our goals in developing these CMMs, the objectives and status of each of these models, and our current plans for the 1996–1997 time frame. We then briefly turn to topics that address the usability of the SW-CMM in certain situations: in small organizations and in challenging application domains. We then describe SEIs involvement in an international standards effort to create a standard for software process assessment. Finally, to gain perspective on how the CMMs might impact the community in the future, we look at the growing use of the SW-CMM and some benefits associated with its use.