CMMI as a process model or framework is about Business Excellence and not just about Capability and Maturity. What makes CMMI truly a global framework for business excellence is that it has been adopted by organizations of different types across the world. CMMI can be used to initiate the setting up of a business excellence framework in an organization and in case the organization already has a business excellence framework, CMMI can be easily integrated with it to improve its business impact. CMMI stands for Capability Maturity Model Integration. CMMI is a powerful framework for business excellence owing to its highly effective and integrated approach to process management, product management and project management.
The evolution of CMMI has its roots in the "Software Crisis" that plagued the development and maintenance of software-based systems in the earlier days. The concept of modeling capability of software processes in terms of 5 maturity levels is what CMMI (or CMM earlier) offered to the software companies as a solution for the "Software Crisis". The five maturity level idea was not really a new concept as it was actually based on the Organizational Maturity Grid proposed earlier by Phil Crosby.
Though CMMI has its history in the SW-CMM (CMM for Software) it has now evolved into a business excellence framework which can be applied and implemented in different contexts:
System/product development and maintenance - CMMI-DEV or CMMI for Development
Acquisition of sub-systems or product components from suppliers - CMMI-ACQ or CMMI for Acquisition
Service management - CMMI-SVC or CMMI for Services
When the phrase CMMI Implementation is used it usually refers to adopting CMMI-DEV which has its origin in SW-CMM and SECM (Systems Engineering Capability Model). The I in CMMI stands for integration which means a systems approach to engineering - considering both hardware andsoftware. Of course, it can still be applied and implemented to pure software development and maintenance. It is undoubtedly the most used framework in the IT companies though it can be adopted equally easily by non-IT organizations also.
It's a fact of modern day business that all systems and products are gradually becoming "softwarized". From the automobile we drive, to the cellphone we use, to the aircraft we fly in, all have a lot ofsoftware residing within them. The difference between pure software and pure hardware is getting eroded with each passing day and hence the need of the hour is to look at business processes and business excellence from a systems perspective. In this context, CMMI fits in very well.
The use of CMMI for Business Excellence has resulted in mixed results as far as better financial performance (in terms of higher revenues and/or lower operating expenses) is concerned. We must remember that CMMI is just one of the many elements that impact thefinancial performance. At the same time, financial performance is not a true indicator of business success. Continued business success, year after year and quarter after quarter, depends on the robustness of the overall strategic and operational model of a business organization.
For organizations interested in adopting CMMI the fist natural question is - "How to implement CMMI?". CMMI can be implemented by following a systematic and structured approach for extracting the full benefit. CMMI adoption using a well-defined Implementation Roadmap ensures successful adoption and continued sustenance of CMMI in an organization. The exact Implementation Steps an organization must follow depend on other factors as well, such as business context, organizational culture, existing process maturity, business need for implementing CMMI, etc.
Beyond the mere implementation of the practices and sub-practices required by the CMMI framework, the real value of CMMI lies in going for the bulls-eye - achieving CMMI High Maturity. CMMI High Maturity has gained importance in the recent years as it was being realized that most of the CMMI Appraised organizations have failed to derive the real value from their CMMI Implementation. The primary reason for this is also obvious - in the race for achieving a numerical maturity level status, many of the finer aspects and concepts of CMMI were not given a rightful consideration they deserved.
The evolution of CMMI has its roots in the "Software Crisis" that plagued the development and maintenance of software-based systems in the earlier days. The concept of modeling capability of software processes in terms of 5 maturity levels is what CMMI (or CMM earlier) offered to the software companies as a solution for the "Software Crisis". The five maturity level idea was not really a new concept as it was actually based on the Organizational Maturity Grid proposed earlier by Phil Crosby.
Though CMMI has its history in the SW-CMM (CMM for Software) it has now evolved into a business excellence framework which can be applied and implemented in different contexts:
System/product development and maintenance - CMMI-DEV or CMMI for Development
Acquisition of sub-systems or product components from suppliers - CMMI-ACQ or CMMI for Acquisition
Service management - CMMI-SVC or CMMI for Services
When the phrase CMMI Implementation is used it usually refers to adopting CMMI-DEV which has its origin in SW-CMM and SECM (Systems Engineering Capability Model). The I in CMMI stands for integration which means a systems approach to engineering - considering both hardware andsoftware. Of course, it can still be applied and implemented to pure software development and maintenance. It is undoubtedly the most used framework in the IT companies though it can be adopted equally easily by non-IT organizations also.
It's a fact of modern day business that all systems and products are gradually becoming "softwarized". From the automobile we drive, to the cellphone we use, to the aircraft we fly in, all have a lot ofsoftware residing within them. The difference between pure software and pure hardware is getting eroded with each passing day and hence the need of the hour is to look at business processes and business excellence from a systems perspective. In this context, CMMI fits in very well.
The use of CMMI for Business Excellence has resulted in mixed results as far as better financial performance (in terms of higher revenues and/or lower operating expenses) is concerned. We must remember that CMMI is just one of the many elements that impact thefinancial performance. At the same time, financial performance is not a true indicator of business success. Continued business success, year after year and quarter after quarter, depends on the robustness of the overall strategic and operational model of a business organization.
For organizations interested in adopting CMMI the fist natural question is - "How to implement CMMI?". CMMI can be implemented by following a systematic and structured approach for extracting the full benefit. CMMI adoption using a well-defined Implementation Roadmap ensures successful adoption and continued sustenance of CMMI in an organization. The exact Implementation Steps an organization must follow depend on other factors as well, such as business context, organizational culture, existing process maturity, business need for implementing CMMI, etc.
Beyond the mere implementation of the practices and sub-practices required by the CMMI framework, the real value of CMMI lies in going for the bulls-eye - achieving CMMI High Maturity. CMMI High Maturity has gained importance in the recent years as it was being realized that most of the CMMI Appraised organizations have failed to derive the real value from their CMMI Implementation. The primary reason for this is also obvious - in the race for achieving a numerical maturity level status, many of the finer aspects and concepts of CMMI were not given a rightful consideration they deserved.
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