What is CMMI Certification?
First to mention – SEI likes us to use “achieved CMMI Level n” instead of the word “certification”.
To get to each level you need to build, deploy, and manage processes within your organizations that reflect best practices brought by the CMMI model. After this, you need SEI authorized SCAMI Lead Appraiser to lead you through a SCAMI Appraisal.
Once the appraisal type is selected it will result in a gap analysis or a set of formal findings that identify your company as having achieved Level N.
CMMI Levels
Hardly anyone can toast with such a high achievement as getting the highest level of the CMMI certification. There are exactly 5 stages that a company can achieve. The first two of them are nothing special for the company that managed to get it in some way. Climbing into higher levels of CMMI certification will require a lot of effort from you. The software processes that are indispensable to get a higher level are mostly concentrated not only on the effect that you are getting but also on the process of how you do it. You can have some spectacular successes in your branch, however, they may be achieved in a very chaotic, uncertain way, just by an accident that could lead you to your success. Chaos is not willingly seen in the software branch, you have to prove yourself and your business to be reliable and conscious of what you do. The CMMI certification level can prove it easily.
Level 1- initial
When your processes manage to gain only this level, your work is chaotic and there is no slight division between the process and your final product. It seems that your achievement is just an accident, there is a lack of logic and there is no proven process in gaining the final result. The budget is mostly exceeded, and the business wastes its money. The schedule is written just to look at it not to obey the following points. There could be no schedule at all because no one seems to obey it.
Level 2- repeatable
If you manage to gain this level, your work is not as chaotic as level one. The software development is repeatable, you do not have any fresh ideas, you just repeat the one that someone already had, but you do it quite well and you start to use the logic in the software processes. The budget is not so exceeded as by level one but some mistakes may occur, you are still not perfect, but you have improved your way of working. The schedule is not only a sheet of paper that hangs on your corkboard but it is mostly obeyed and you do your tasks mostly point by point. Of course, sometimes you forget about it, but in most cases, you look at the schedule before you make another point.
Level 3- defined
Your processes are described. You can more or less precisely name the method that was used to create your final product. In simple words, you know what you do and you can redo the process. Your effects are not achieved by the accident, the budget and schedule are obeyed and the mistakes occur hardly ever. This is based on conscious management. After all, you can describe what have you done to achieve the final result. Your software development starts to work properly and you become perceived by the specialists. Levels 4 and 5 will be described shortly.
CMMI Models
CMMI Models are a set of documents that address all different areas of interest. In version 1.2. there are three models available: – CMMI for Development (CMMI-DEV), Version 1.2 was released in August 2006. – Product and service development processes.
– CMMI for Acquisition (CMMI-ACQ), Version 1.2 was released in November 2007. Supply chain management, acquisition, and outsourcing processes in government and industry.
– CMMI for Services (CMMI-SVC), will be included in the next release (March 2009). Guidance for delivering services within the organization and to external customers.
Regardless of which model an organization chooses, CMMI best practices should be adapted to each organization according to its business objectives. Organizations cannot be CMMI “certified.” Instead, an organization is appraised (e.g., using an appraisal method like SCAMPI) and is awarded a 1-5 level rating.
CMMI for services
CMMI for Services (CMMI-SVC) is a complete guide to enhance service provider organizations in their work. This goal is achieved by reducing costs, improving quality, and improving the predictability of schedules. This process is inevitable for a company to gain the best results from specific resources. While using CMMI-DEV in a service setting can distort the integrity of appraisal results, CMMI-SVC is better suited for that purpose. This program is capable of fulfilling the wishes of customers who request a demonstration of a CMMI rating or capability profile from their service providers. Now service providers have the same chances to improve their qualities in their processes based on community models of practice that specifically address the interests and concerns of service providers.
CMMI for development
Each developer is eager to manage his company perfectly and professionally to gain maximum efficiency and effectiveness. He wants also his products to reach the consumer on time to make him satisfied and willing to come back for other ones. Using CMMI-DEV is a solution for each company that is willing to manage not only time but also delivery better to reach the consumer punctually and to maintain the products professionally within the shorter period. What is more- the final products are always better quality and are made professionally to teach all the demanded standards.
CMMI-DEV is a perfect solution because it not only cares for the final products but also guarantees observation during the whole production process to reach a perfect level of development. This investment is long-lasting and guarantees success for each company that will purchase it. Summing up, it guarantees: * satisfied customers who will recommend your company to others * a product of perfect quality done professionally and immaculately * schedules that will reduce the time the staff spends on making a product * lower costs that are always undeniably well-seen * improvement of employees morale because their work will be appreciated and they will not have to do their hard work once again.
