CMMI Process Areas and Maturity Levels

CMMI Process Areas: Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) is based on a rock-solid framework designed to improve the processes originated from the Software Engineering Institute for Software Development along with its relevant Acquisition.

There are three models of CMMI addressing industrial needs:

1. CMMI – DEV: For the development of Software Products and Services
2. CMMI – ACQ: For the acquisition of Products and Services
3. CMMI – SVC: For the establishment, management and delivery services

Essential Ingredients of CMMI Process Areas Model

So here are some must-to-have for CMMI model which are:

1. The Process Improvement Approach
2. Setting Goals towards Process Improvement
3. Reference for Appraising Current Management Processes

The Framework of CMMI Process Areas

CMMI model has been stroked into two main categories, which are:

1. Maturity Level Wise
2. Category Wise

Categorization of CMMI Process Areas

Depending upon the extent of maturity, organizations can be categorized into maturity levels using the following criteria:

Maturity Level 1 – Initial

This level contains no process areas.

Maturity Level 2 – Managed

• Configuration Management
• Measurement and Analysis
• Project Monitoring and Control
• Project Planning
• Process and Quality Assurance (QA)
• Requirements Management
• Supplier Agreement Management

Maturity Level 3 – Defined

• Decision Analysis and Resolution
• Integrated Project Management
• Organizational Process Definition
• Organizational Training
• Regulatory Process Focus
• Product Integration
• Requirements Development
• Risk Management
• Technical Solution
• Validation
• Verification

Maturity Level 4 – Quantitatively Managed

• Organizational Process Performance
• Quantitative Project Management

Maturity Level 5 – Optimizing

• Casual Analysis and Resolution
• Corporate Performance Management

CMMI Process Areas: Category Wise Categorization

Category wise process areas have been divided into following four categories which are enlisted below:

1. Project Management

• Integrated Project Management (IPM)
• Project Monitoring and Control (PMC)
• Project Planning (PP)
• Quantitative  Project Management (QPM)
• Requirements Management (REQM)
• Risk Management (RSKM)
• Supplier Agreement Management (SAM)

2. Engineering

• Product Integration (PI)
• Requirements Development (RD)
• Technical Solution (TS)
• Validation (VAL)
• Verification (VER)

3. Process Management

• Organizational Performance Management (OPM)
• Organizational Process Definition (OPD)
• Organizational Process Focus (OPF)
• Organizational Process Performance (OPP)
• Organizational Training (OT)

4. Support

• Casual Analysis and Resolution (CAR)
• Configuration Management (CM)
• Decision Analysis and Resolution (DAR)
• Measurement and Analysis (MA)
• Process and Product Quality Assurance (PPQA)

The Purpose of Process Areas in CMMI

CMMI contains 22 process areas, and each process area has a different, useful motive for CMMI.

1. Project Planning (PP)

Project Planning contains the set of practices that are important for any business like close estimation, project plan preparation, scheduling, risk planning, and mitigating and appropriate resource planning so that project planning can be done effectively and efficiently.

2. Project Monitoring and Control (PMC)

Project Monitoring and Control (PMC) is one of the significant process areas that can be used as a guidance tool for project management techniques for monitoring through progress reviews and milestone reviews. Meetings have done periodically, status reporting, and controlling of various issues arising from time to time.

3. Configuration Management (CM)

The process area named as configuration management is something which is of great help when it comes to establishing the integrity of work products and identification of configuration items and its control, status maintenance according to work products and other configuration audits.

4. Integrated Project Management (IPM)

The process area of Integrated Project Management (IPM) that helps in setting up and managing the project with the involvement of all the stakeholders. It can also assist businesses in crafting a standard procedure for the development of a defined process of projects.

5. Measurement and Analysis (MA)

It provides detailed guidelines for development and sustained measurement within a project that successfully leads back to plans from management to measurement level helping in essential decision-making processes.

6. Process and Product Quality Assurance (PPQA)

PPQA is one of the process areas that go a great way to maintain the quality of relevant processes and other products which are equally helpful in satisfying appropriate audits and other QA activities.

7. Decision Analysis and Resolution (DAR)

DAR is another process area that helps a great way to select one of the best alternative using all formal techniques.

8. Quantitative Project Management (QPM)

QPM is CMMI process area which is used for advanced measurement and assist in quantitative control and overall improvement of objectives of the project and its objectives that are derived from goals of the business.

9. Risk Management (RSKM)

RSKM is CMMI process area that assists businesses in identifying potential problems before they occur and plan way before the mitigation activities and their occurrence.

10. Supplier Agreement Management (SAM)

SAM is the process area that assists the management in managing its products and other services that have been acquired from suppliers.

11. Requirements Management (REQM)

REQM helps the management of all the user requirements along with the assurance of alignment of project work and its mutually agreed requirements.

12. Requirements Development (RD)

RD is used in compiling requirements analyzing and go into detail for users, consumers, customers, products, and its components requirement.

13. Product Integration (PI)

PI goes a great way when it comes to assembling the product in the final stage and its components that help in the product being made in an integrated form and deliver its intention.

14. Technical Solution (TS)

TS assist businesses in selecting, designing, and implementing desired solutions to the requirements of the project.

15. Validation (VAL)

VAL ensures the product work in its indented environment.

16. Verification (VER)

VER helps in ensuring the work products that are previously being selected to meet the specified requirements which were desired as outcomes.

17. Casual Analysis and Resolution (CAR)

Identification of root cause, identifying defects in products, and devising preventive and corrective actions to improve process performance is fulfilled in CAR.

18. Organizational Process Definition (OPD)

OPD is responsible for setting up the library of organizational process assets and maintenance of the library.

19. Organizational Training (OT)

OT is one of the critical development process areas that help develop competencies of the team and deal with human resource management.

20.  Organizational Performance Management (OPM)

OPM is one of the process areas of CMMI, which is used for proactive management of the performance of an organization to meet business objectives.

21. Organizational Process Focus (OPF)

OPF helps in not only planning but in implementing and deploying organizational process improvements which are based on current strengths and weaknesses of all processes of an organization.

22. Organizational Process Performance (OPP)

OPP helps in CMMI Process Areas and general process improvement by setting up a quantitative performance understanding of organizational goals.

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