Capability Maturity Model is a model of 5 levels of process in delivering quality software.

DEFINITION: Capability Maturity Model (CMM) is a model of 5 levels of process ‘maturity’ that determine effectiveness in delivering quality software. he model describes a five-level evolutionary path of increasingly organized and systematically more mature processes. CMM was developed and is promoted by the Software Engineering Institute (SEI), a research and development center sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense. SEI was founded in 1984 to address software engineering issues and, in a broad sense, to advance software engineering methodologies. Highlights of Levels: Level 1: Initial: – characterized by chaos, periodic panics, and heroic efforts required by individuals to successfully complete projects. Very few or none of the processes are in place. Level 2: Repeatable: – Software Project Tracking, Requirements Management, Realistic Planning and Configuration Management Processes are in place; successful practices can be repeated. Level 3: Defined: – Standard Software Development and Maintenance Processes are integrated throughout an organization. A Software Engineering Process Group is in place to oversee software processes, and training programs are used to ensure understanding and compliance. Level 4: Managed: – Metrics are used to track productivity, processes, and products. Project performance is predictable, and quality is consistently high. Level 5: Optimizing: – The focus is on continuous process improvement. The impact of new processes and technologies can be predicted and effectively implemented when required. Any organization can start from any level, but its motto is to reach level 5; where the focus is continuous process improvement. By doing this, high quality s/w delivery is assured. Consult2soft Maturity Model is based on the Capability Maturity Model (CMM), and it was first developed by the Illinois Institute of Technology. It is a detailed model for test process improvement. It can be complemented with any process improvement model or can be used as a STAND ALONE model.