Introduction to the Capability Maturity Model®
(A three day official SEI(SM) course)

Workshop Details

The SEI(SM)'s Capability Maturity Model® (CMM®) for software provides a framework that organizations can use to determine their ability to develop and maintain software. It is a model for organizational improvement.

The course will impart the fundamental concepts of the model. Against this background participants will receive sufficient details to understand how it relates to the organization's software development, maintenance and integration projects - regardless of the CMM® level of the organization.

The three day course "Intro. to CMM®" is meant for practitioners and the managers in your organization. It is specially useful for individuals who will coordinate process improvement in your organization (SEPG(SM)), who wish to be part of the Assessment Team and those who wish to become Lead Assessors.

The course includes a discussion of process management concepts, some TQM concepts, and a detailed analysis of each Key Process Area (KPA) for all maturity levels. All Key Practices in the CMM® are discussed, related to the respective Goals in their respective KPAS and analyzed with respect to your development or maintenance environments. Participants will be prepared for recommendations and alternative implementations regarding their organization's implementation of the KPAS.

The course is based on Version 1.1 of the CMM®.

The course relates the CMM® to performing software process improvement assessments and evaluations to improve subcontractor selection.

Student Profile

The course ensures an understanding of the fundamental and in-depth concepts of the CMM®. Therefore, it is of value to starters as well as students who want to explore an in-depth interpretation of the CMM®. It is geared to the general software practitioner, but is especially useful to individuals who will participate in software assessments or evaluations and those who want to become Lead Assessors.

Course Contents

DAY 1

• Course introduction
• Software Process Maturity

- Mature versus Immature Processes
- Applying TQM to software

• CMM® Overview

- What is CMM®?
- Capability versus Performance
- Understanding the various maturity levels in
  the CMM®

• Value of the CMM®

- Importance of software process improvement
  (SPI)
- Tangible benefits of SPI
- Intangible benefits of SPI

• CMM® Structure

- Components of the CMM®
- How to read the CMM®?

DAY 2

• The Repeatable Level (Level 2)

- Requirements Management
- Software Project Planning
- Software Project Tracking and Oversight
- Software Subcontract Management
- Software Quality Assurance
- Software Configuration Management

• The Defined Level (Level 3)

- Organization Process Focus
- Organization Process Definition Training
  Program
- Integrated Software Management
- Software Product Engineering
- Intergroup Coordination
- Peer Reviews

• The Managed Level (Level 4)

- Software Quality Management
- Quantitative Process Management

• The Optimizing Level (Level 5)

- Defect Prevention
- Technology Change Management
- Process Change Management

• Common Themes
• Interpreting the CMM® in different organizations
• Conclusions

Format

The course follows a lecture approach supplemented with individual and group exercises. The instructor maintains a high level of student interaction and discussion to enable satisfying the student's needs in their work environments.

Student Materials

Each student will receive a complete version of the Capability Maturity Model® as defined in CMU/SEI(SM)-93-TR24 and TR25, both of which are distributed to the students for public information purposes. A complete set of the slides, from the SEI(SM), used by the instructor are provided as part of the fee for the course.

EACH PARTICIPANT WILL RECEIVE AN OFFICIAL CERTIFICATE OF ATTENDANCE WITH THE SEI(SM) LOGO FROM SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY TRANSITION (STT), A SEI(SM) TRANSITION PARTNER.