Frequently Asked Questions

[Process]

[CMM-CMMI]

[SCAMPI]

[ISO15504]

The CMMI and SW-CMMI Models

What are the principle differences between version 1.1 and version 1.2 of the CMMI model?

The SEI’s primary goal for version 1.2 was to simplify the architecture of the CMMI model. The biggest change is that the IPPD (Integrated Product & Process Development) and SS (Supplier Sourcing) Process Areas have been removed from the model:

• OEI (Organizational Environment for Integration)
• IT (Integrated Teaming)
• ISM (Integrated Supplier Management)

However, the practices for these Process Areas have not disappeared, revisions been made to other Process Areas as a result:

• 2 additional practices in the goal SG2 of SAM, from ISM
• A new goal in OPD-IPPD based on the OEI practices
• A new goal in IPM-IPPD based on the practices from the SG3 and SG4 goals in IPM (version 1.1)

The IPPD option no longer includes dedicated PAs, but on additional goals in OPD and IPM. Two models comprise the CMMI for Development constellation: the CMMI for Development and CMMI for Development +IPPD models. This first CMMI constellation, called “DEV”, is dedicated to product development and maintenance. It will then be followed by two other constellations, “ACQ” and “SVC”, respectively related to product acquisition/services and supply services. As for the option SS, it has been removed and the ISM practices have migrated to SAM and will have the most impact for those organizations which have not implemented ISM with version 1.1.
To conclude, here is a list of other significant changes in version 1.2 of the CMMI model:

• The concept of “basic” and “advanced” practices has been abolished in order to have a continuous view of the model implementation.
• We can now find information specific to engineering hardware in certain PAs in order to facilitate understanding of this discipline of the model.
• Two practices have been added to OPD and IPM for work environments.
• A more explicit division of OPF (2 distinct goals) between the implementation of an improvement action and the deployment of the results of this action within the current projects.
• Only the SAM PA can be declared “Not Applicable” in an appraisal with appropriate justification.

What is the difference between the SW-CMM and the CMMI?

The Capability Maturity Model exists since 1991. Since many other models, in domains other than software development, have used the letters "CMM", the CMM was re-baptized as the SW-CMM (the letters "SW" referring to software). The current version (version 1.1) was going to be replaced by version 2.0 in 1998. Just before its publication, the SEI redirected its effort toward the integration of system and software practices, since they are often linked in the context of industrial real projects.
The SEI wanted to clean house of the abundance of models that had been developed in the interim. This led toward a combined and integrated model called CMMI (the "I" refers to integration).
Fortunately, this model reused the entire draft version 2.0 of the SW-CMM which constituted one of the major inputs to CMMI. The SEI, while progressively encouraging the use of the CMMI model rather than the SW-CMM, will continue to support the SW-CMM during the transition phase, expected to last until end of 2005.

What is the concrete impact of CMMI for organizations who already use the SW-CMM or who are considering using it?

The CMMI version 1.0 was published commercially on August 11, 2000, and version 1.1 (a much more stable version, if we rely on the story of the SW-CMM ) was published in the beginning of 2002. The information can be found on the SEI's CMMI pages.
The SEI has already confirmed that it will maintain full support of the SW-CMM version 1.1 for a period of several years  following the publication of the CMMI version 1.1; the latest official statement from the SEI states that the deadline to train new CBA IPI leads (based on the SW-CMM) is end 2003, which gives an additional two years to conduct CBA IPI assessments. With the certification cycle being two years, we are talking about end 2005. It has already been established that the cross over from one to the other will be aided by transition paths proposed by and supported by the SEI.
The bottom line is that if the SW-CMM 1.1 currently satisfies the needs of a company investing in software process improvement, there is no need to stop or to slow the initiative.  It would, however, be wise to learn about the CMMI and to define a transition strategy according to your business needs.  Moreover, it would be preferable, if you are starting out in the world of process improvement, to begin with the new CMMI. Once again, some important advice:  Don't wait! Your competitors are already in the race...

What are the CMMI and the SW-CMM?

The Capability Maturity Model is a baseline of key practices that should be implemented by any entity developing or maintaining a product which is completely or partially software.  With the SW-CMM, the emphasis is on the software practices whereas with the CMMI, we can find both software and systems practices.  We can imagine that these models would be the outcome of vast consultation of successful projects which would then be documented in a model of what to do to carry out projects with success and to improve continuously, and recommended to the software and systems engineering community.
Published by the SEI, it has been largely used by the software community to assess the maturity of the software processes used by companies and agencies, to develop improvement plans, or as a reference book to implement more mature practices. One can say that the CMMI and the SW-CMM have become "de facto" standards.

Are the CMMI and the SW-CMM recognized at the international level?

The SW-CMM version 1.0 was released by the SEI in 1990.  Version 1.1, a more stable version, was published in 1993 and saw immediate success within the international community. Vastly used by several segments of the industry and public organizations, it has inspired numerous applications and adaptations of the model.  The release of version two was expected in 1998, and was the object of many preliminary publications which were largely circulated for revision.
The SEI's integration project of developed models recovered version two (unpublished) to re-issue it as the new integrated scheme called the CMMI. It is a tool largely prevalent, following a disciplined evolution involving the international software community. It is not a panacea or the final solution to the problems, but the SW-CMM (software) and the CMMI (software and systems) models represent, without any doubt, among the best references available on recommended practices for software development or maintenance.
The SEI statistics refer to almost 2000 organizations which have carried out official evaluations and this is only the tip of the Iceberg. In effect, for each organization which carries out an official evaluation reported to SEI, there is undoubtedly dozens of other organizations which use related models without conducting official evaluations reported to the SEI.

Do the CMMI and the SW-CMM use (as a baseline) formal assessment initiatives other than SCAMPI or CBA IPI?

Of course! The CMMI or the SW-CMM can certainly constitute references of choice for anyone looking for good ideas to improve ways of working or to reflect on replacement solutions with the current practices which could suffer from certain gaps. One can find examples, improvement paths, ideas to confront intuitions, etc. Several more or less formal evaluation methods, other than SCAMPI or CBA IPI, use the CMMI or the SW-CMM as a baseline.

Do the CMMI and the SW-CMM apply only to the software domain? What about development and maintenance?

Actually, the original name is SW-CMM (for "Software SW-CMM").
Therefore, it is obviously applicable to the software domain, in what it concerns to the development, as well as to the maintenance aspects.  The specific methods (or methodologies) and technology (software or equipment) being used by a company or agency do not impose specific constraints on the use of the SW-CMM, since its practices are formulated in such a generic mode.
Nevertheless, even if they have been initially oriented and worded for the software domain, some of them can be extrapolated beyond their original application and applied to other domains (not necessarily in the software domain). However, keep in mind that the SEI has originally oriented the practices described in the SW-CMM model to cover the software development and maintenance aspects.
The SEI has created a family of models for the different domains based on the architecture of its first model: le SW-CMM.
This is why we speak of the SW-CMMs (with an "s") designate a family of models and we specify the application domain with a prefix SW-CMM.
We can find, as well as, the SW-CMM (previously the CMM), the SE-CMM (for Systems Engineering SW-CMM, covering systems engineering practices which would be integrated in the  CMMI), the P-CMM (for Personal SW-CMM, covering the administration of personnel), the SA-CMM (for Software Acquisition SW-CMM, covering practices for the acquisition of software products), etc. for which the SEI acts as prime player or as key participant.
All these models have the advantage of sharing the same architecture, which facilitates its common utilization once any of the models of the family has been adopted in the organization. This approach is similar to the concept used by the Microsoft Office applications, which all share a common interface and also an important number of basic characteristics.
We would like to underline the fact that the SEI has published the results of its integration project (CMMI), the result (the CMMI model) applies to a larger domain (all systems fields) than the SW-CMM, but does not, for the moment, integrate the  practices of personnel administration as seen in the P-CMM.
The basic paradigm of the CMMI model remains the notion of PROJECT (start date, target end date, budget, team headed by a lead, client, etc.). Thus, any PROJECT aiming at the delivery of a solution based partially on software is well covered by the CMMI. If one thinks of evolutionary maintenance, one can, in general, apply this project concept; thus the CMMI applies very well to this type of maintenance. However, for "small corrective maintenance", done urgently, most of the time, with small corrections interventions, the project concept is, in general, more difficult to apply since one will conceptualize this step as a continuous ACTIVITY. It then becomes necessary to strongly adapt the CMMI practices to apply to such a step.

Are there any constraints to the use of the CMMI or the SW-CMM in environments using specific methods or tools for development or maintenance?

No: the CMMI and the SW-CMM practices are formulated in a generic way.
The are independent of any method (or methodology) and of any technology environment (software or hardware).

Are the CMMI or the SW-CMM obligatory prerequisites for the implementation of a process improvement program?

Certainly not. The CMMI or the SW-CMM is not a panacea: although well-done and widespread, they are incomplete  and can be improved. However, they represent a standard whose robustness and usefulness have been verified by hundreds of companies around the world. Choosing a model with these characteristics as a reference to guide your investments in software process improvement, it is certainly a good decision to minimize the risks and to maximize the benefits

Where can the CMMI or the SW-CMM be purchased?

Le CMMI has been published as a hardcover book which most users prefer  due to the ease of transporting it.  This book can also be found in bookstores:
"The CMMI : Guidelines for Process Integration and Product Improvement"; Carnegie Mellon University / Software Engineering Institute; SEI series in software engineering; Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc.; 2003; ISBN 0-321-15496-7.

The SW-CMM, French version, in a ringed binder format, is distributed by CRIM (Centre de recherche informatique de Montréal). They can be reached by phone at +1 (514) 840-1292 or, preferably, by email : info-ctl@crim.ca. We can see the  French electronic version on the CGLA WEB site.

The English version, in a ringed binder format, is distributed by the SEI. They can be reached by phone at +1 (412) 268-5800.

The English version has also been published in hardcover, which most users prefer when travelling.  This book can be found in bookstores:
"The Capability Maturity Model : Guidelines for Improving the Software Process"; Carnegie Mellon University / Software Engineering Institute; SEI series in software engineering; Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc.; 1995; ISBN 0-201-54664-7 .

What is the relationship of the CMMI and the SW-CMM with ISO/CEI 15504, previously known as SPICE?

A working group of ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electro-technical Commission) was established to produce a standard for a model of software development and maintenance practices and an assessment method. This group had the goal to produce standards to obtain international acceptance for these two components. This was the project SPICE ("Software Process Improvement and Capability dEtermination"). The project was transferred after to a regular working group of ISO-IEC to continue the work.
It was the SPICE ("Software Process Improvement and Capability dEtermination") project, which yielded to a regular  ISO/CEI work group, who continued the work. This noble and ambitious objective evolved to produce not A model and A method, but a SET of requirements to be satisfied by models and methods in order to be in conformance to the ISO-IEC standard.
This change of course from the initial objective (one single model and one single method), probably unavoidable, has the advantage of making easier to reach international consensus; also it stimulates the development of solutions better adapted to specific needs, while sharing a set of common rules.
The SEI was an important participant of the SPICE project, most likely to influence the requirements of the standard to ensure that its model (CMM) and its method (CBA IPI), would easily conform to the future ISO standard. As the SW-CMM model and the CBA IPI method, will no longer be updated, by the SEI at least, the SEI will not reflect ISO15504 requirements in these, concentrating rather on their more recent equivalent and intended to replace: CMMI and SCAMPI.

The ISO-IEC organization has not yet completed all the approval stages for the standard, currently known as ISO-IEC 15504. You can find detailed information on the ISO-IEC 15504 and on the SPICE project  on the official WEB site.

Is it possible to get an overview of the CMMI or the SW-CMM?

You can attend a brief presentation (Alcyonix offers such presentations). You can also read the model itself.

The SW-CMM model is composed of two parts, often referred to by its acronym : The R24 and the TR25 (TR refers to "Technical Report" from the SEI). The TR24 contains the general description. The TR25, much larger, presents the key process area, the goals, and the target practices in detail.
Usually we recommend to those that are interested only in getting an overview of the SW-CMM, simply to browse the TR25 in a macroscopic way. This is easy because the TR25 has been organized in a way to facilitate the reading at different levels of detail.
In less than half an hour you can read the first page of each one of the eighteen key process areas and have at the end a good idea of the model. In less than 2 hours you can read in addition the 3 or 4 goals that are associated to each one of the key process areas, in order to have a more detailed idea of the target vision promoted by the model. Afterwards, if you want to go further, you can concentrate on specific key process areas and then read the practices, just reading the 2 or 3 lines that describe each practice.
The final level of detail will request more time, because then you have to read the notes (ranging from a few lines to several pages each) that are included in each practice.

As for the CMMI model, it is presented in only one volume and one can choose between the staged or the continuous representation and several possible regroupings of disciplines. Once one has decided which representation is appropriate for its needs, same principles for reading, as those described above for the SW-CMM, apply.

Are there many recognized courses on the CMMI or the SW-CMM? What importance should be given to the "official" status of the "Introduction to SW-CMM" and "Introduction to CMMI" courses from the SEI?

Nothing prevents people from offering courses on the CMMI or the SW-CMM because these models belong to the public domain. The SEI has developed a three day course on each of these models which they offer directly or through a network of authorized partners (for example : Alcyonix). Of course, the SEI officially recognizes the value of its own courses, provided by the SEI itself or by one of its authorized partners (like Alcyonix).
The candidates for official accreditation as lead assessors are requested to have completed THIS COURSE.
On the other hand, for assessment team members, the SEI requests that the lead assessors verify the knowledge of the CMMI and the SW-CMM of each team member. For the CBA IPI method only, the lead assessor can request that team members take the official course, or alternatively, to accept other courses equivalent to the requirements defined by the SEI. For the SCAMPI method the lead appraiser must confirm that each team member has completed the  official "Introduction to CMMI" course.

If I want to take a CMMI or an SW-CMM course officially recognized by the SEI who should I contact?

There are several possibilities: it is a question of finding the most practical (location, language, calendar) and the best price. Alcyonix is an SEI Agreement Partner who offers official courses in English or in French, worldwide.
One can also contact the SEI who offers these courses in English on their premises or, on occasion, in various cities.