Capability Maturity Model Part One - Overview

History Effort started by SEI and MITRE Corporation  assess capability of DoD contractors First version published in 1991 closely related to TQM  goal is customer satisfaction not required that customer be "delighted"

Some Fundamental Ideas Process improvement is based on small steps, rather than revolutionary innovation. CMM is not exhaustive or dictatorial. CMM focuses on processes that are of value across the organization.

Benefits of using the model helps forge a shared vision of purpose of process improvement within the organization establishes common language for the software process defines a set of priorities for attacking problems supports measurement  via reliable appraisals  objective  supports industry-wide comparisons

Risks of using the model "All models are wrong; some models are useful." Not a silver bullet. Does not address all of the issues that are important for successful projects.  For example how to hire and retain good people expertise in the application domain

Levels 1. Initial 2. Repeatable 3. Defined 4. Managed 5. Optimizing

Level 1 : The Initial Level ad hoc, sometimes chaotic overcommitment leads to a series of crises during a crisis, projects abandon plans capability is characteristic of individuals, not the organization when a good manager leaves, the success leaves with them

Level 2 : The Repeatable Level Planning is based on experience with similar projects  past successes can be repeated Policies for Managing and Implementation  installed basic management controls  track costs and schedules  notice and deal with problems as they arise

Level 3 : The Defined Level Standard Processes defined across the organization and used by all projects standard set of roles, activities, quality tracking, etc each project uses a tailored version of this standard process Training Program is in place to ensure everyone has the skills required for their assigned role

Level 4 : The Managed Level Quantitative Quality Goals for both Products and Processes Organization-wide Process Database  meaningful variations in process performance can be distinguished from random noise actions are then taken to correct the situation Products are of predictably high quality

Level 5 : The Optimizing Level Organization has the means to identify weaknesses and strengthen the process proactively teams analyze defects to determine their cause, and disseminate lessons learned throughout the organization major focus on eliminating waste  e.g. reduce amount of rework

Defect prevention Technology change management Process change management Quantitative process management Software Quality Management Organization process focus Organization process definition Training program Integrated software management Software product engineering Intergroup coordination Peer Reviews Requirements management Software project planning Software project tracking and oversight Software subcontract management Software quality assurance Software Configuration management Key Process Areas by maturity level This is a somewhat handy hierarchy of activities.

Don't skip levels For example,  collecting detailed data (level 4) is meaningless unless the data is from projects that use a consistent process (level 3)

Reality Check... Is CMM well-suited for everyone?

Criticisms of CMM CMM is well suited for bureaucratic organizations such as government agencies and large corporations.  Its formality is a hindrance to projects where time-to- market is more important than quality. Promotes process over substance.  For example, emphasizing predictability over service provided to end users. en.wikipedia.com

Who uses CMM 75% of organizations are probably Level One.  To get to Level Two, you must have control over the requirements documents. Hence, shrink-wrap companies like Microsoft are Level One. 75% of Level Five organizations are in India.

Level Comparison - Risk Level 1  Just do it Level 2  problems are recognized and corrected as they occur Level 3  problems are anticipated and prevented, or impacts minimized Levels 4 and 5  sources of problems are understood and eliminated

Level Comparison - People Level 1  success depends on individual heroics  fire fighting is the way of life Level 2  people are trained and supported by management  success depends on individuals Level 3  people are trained for their role(s)  groups work together Levels 4  strong sense of teamwork in every project Level 5  strong sense of teamwork across the organization  everyone does process improvement

Level Comparison - Measurement Level 1  ad hoc data collection and analysis Level 2  individual projects use planning data Level 3  data collected for all processes  data shared across projects Levels 4  data standardized across the organization Level 5  data used for process improvement

Quiz 1 Your Role : SQA specialist Situation :  Initial Unit Testing reports indicate a bug rate of 4.5 / KSLOC.  Further checking finds Average initial bug rate is 3.1 per KSLOC StdDev of 0.5 weighted rate is also higher than average What CMM level enables this amount of visibility into the process?

Quiz 2 Your Role : Project Manager Phase : Unit Testing Problem : You notice that design, implementation, and testing of the database component will probably take 3 weeks instead of the planned 4 weeks. These tasks are not on the critical path. Possible Actions?  and what level CMM characterizes that action?

Quiz 3 Your Role : Project Manager Phase : Planning Task : Schedule the Testing of the Database  Estimated Duration: 3 days  Required Resources: the database requirements specs the implementation (source code) real data from customer test person that has a DB Test certificate How do the different capability levels affect your ability to schedule and monitor this task?

Quiz 4 Your Role : a development team leader Problems :  Well into development, you get an indicating a change in the interface requirements based on a demo of the prototype done with the customer. The change will require a good amount of code rework. What would be the reaction of groups with  Level One  Level Three  Level Five

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