Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI)

Capability Maturity Model® Integration (CMMI) is a process improvement approach that provides organizations with the essential elements of effective processes.

Process optimization has become a key success element for organizations improving their software delivery capabilities. Each organization brings unique knowledge and skills, but it can also leverage a wide range of industry best practices. Typically, these best practices are collected in standard models, such as CMMI, the Capability Maturity Model® - Integration. Using a model-based approach, such as a CMMI-focused one, provides a roadmap to help stage the improvements and leverages the lessons that others in industry have already learned. It also enables comparisons between organizations and offers a proven sequence for improvement.

Statistics

1. Less than 1% of the companies worldwide are CMMI certified.
2. As on December 2008, SynapseIndia is one amongst only 1218 companies worldwide that got SEI CMMI L3 certification.
3. SynapseIndia is one of the 44% companies globally that have applied for the appraisal for the first time and succeeded.

CMMI combines a carefully chosen set of best practices based on experience in a variety of disciplines, including systems analysis and design, software engineering and management. With CMMI, an organization can simultaneously tackle a range of improvements that would otherwise be addressed as free-standing initiatives. This, in turn, encourages improvement throughout the enterprise and helps organizations consider the full product development life cycle.

Within each of the CMMI maturity levels, key processes are defined in five areas: goals, commitment, ability, measurement and verification. CMMI defined a rigorous method to assess how well an organization meets the goals of each level. The Standard CMMI Appraisal Method for Process Improvement (SCAMPI) provides detailed ratings of strengths and weaknesses relative to the CMMI models.