The Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) defines a process area as, "a cluster of related practices in an area that, when implemented collectively, satisfies a set of goals considered important for making improvement in that area." Both CMMI for Development v1.3 and CMMI for Acquisition v1.3 identify 22 process areas, whereas CMMI for Services v1.3 identifies 24 process areas. Many of the process areas are the same in these three models.
Process Area Organization In CMMI models, the process areas are organized in alphabetical order according to their acronym. However, process areas can be grouped according to maturity levels or process area categories.
Maturity Levels: CMMI for Development There are Five maturity levels. However, maturity level ratings are awarded for levels 2 through 5. The process areas below and their maturity levels are listed for the CMMI for Development model:
Maturity Level 2 - Managed CM - Configuration Management MA - Measurement and Analysis PMC - Project Monitoring and Control PP - Project Planning PPQA - Process and Product Quality Assurance REQM - Requirements Management SAM - Supplier Agreement Management
Maturity Level 3 - Defined DAR - Decision Analysis and Resolution IPM - Integrated Project Management OPD - Organizational Process Definition OPF - Organizational Process Focus OT - Organizational Training PI - Product Integration RD - Requirements Development RSKM - Risk Management TS - Technical Solution VAL - Validation VER - Verification
Maturity Level 4 - Quantitatively Managed OPP - Organizational Process Performance QPM - Quantitative Project Management
Maturity Level 5 - Optimizing CAR - Causal Analysis and Resolution OPM - Organizational Performance Management
Maturity Levels: CMMI for Services The process areas below and their maturity levels are listed for the CMMI for Services model:
Maturity Level 2 - Managed CM - Configuration Management MA - Measurement and Analysis PPQA - Process and Product Quality Assurance REQM - Requirements Management SAM - Supplier Agreement Management SD - Service Delivery WMC - Work Monitoring and Control WP - Work Planning
Maturity Level 3 - Defined (this includes the process areas that make up the previous levels; Maturity Level 3 is made up of the process areas in Level 2 and Level 3) CAM - Capacity and Availability Management DAR - Decision Analysis and Resolution IRP - Incident Resolution and Prevention IWM - Integrated Work Management OPD - Organizational Process Definition OPF - Organizational Process Focus OT - Organizational Training RSKM - Risk Management SCON - Service Continuity SSD - Service System Development SST - Service System Transition STSM - Strategic Service Management
Maturity Level 4 - Quantitatively Managed OPP - Organizational Process Performance QPM - Quantitative Work Management
Maturity Level 5 - Optimizing CAR - Causal Analysis and Resolution OPM - Organizational Performance Management
Maturity Levels: CMMI for Acquisition The process areas below and their maturity levels are listed for the CMMI for Acquisition model:
Maturity Level 2 - Managed AM - Agreement Management ARD - Acquisition Requirements Development CM - Configuration Management MA - Measurement and Analysis PMC - Project Monitoring and Control PP - Project Planning PPQA - Process and Product Quality Assurance REQM - Requirements Management SSAD - Solicitation and Supplier Agreement Development
Maturity Level 3 - Defined ATM - Acquisition Technical Management AVAL - Acquisition Validation AVER - Acquisition Verification DAR - Decision Analysis and Resolution IPM - Integrated Project Management OPD - Organizational Process Definition OPF - Organizational Process Focus OT - Organizational Training RSKM - Risk Management.
Maturity Level 4 - Quantitatively Managed OPP - Organizational Process Performance QPM - Quantitative Project Management
Maturity Level 5 - Optimizing CAR - Casual Analysis and Resolution OPM - Organization Performance Management
Goals and Practices There are two categories of goals and practices: generic and specific. Specific goals and practices are specific to a process area. Generic goals and practices are a part of every process area. A process area is satisfied when organizational processes cover all of the generic and specific goals and practices for that process area.
Generic Goals and Practices Generic goals and practices are a part of every process area.
GG 1 Achieve Specific Goals GP 1.1 Perform Specific Practices GG 2 Institutionalize a Managed Process GP 2.1 Establish an Organizational Policy GP 2.2 Plan the Process GP 2.3 Provide Resources GP 2.4 Assign Responsibility GP 2.5 Train People GP 2.6 Control Work Products GP 2.7 Identify and Involve Relevant Stakeholders GP 2.8 Monitor and Control the Process GP 2.9 Objectively Evaluate Adherence GP 2.10 Review Status with Higher Level Management GG 3 Institutionalize a Defined Process GP 3.1 Establish a Defined Process GP 3.2 Collect Process Related Experiences
Specific Goals and Practices
Each process area is defined by a set of goals and practices. These goals and practices appear only in that process area.
Process Areas CMMI for Development, Version 1.2 contains 22 process areas indicating the aspects of product and service development that are to be covered by organizational processes. For a summary of process areas for each model, see these quick reference documents available on the SEI website: CMMI for Acquisition CMMI for Development CMMI for Services
Agreement Management (AM) A Project Management process area at Maturity Level 2
Purpose
The purpose of Agreement Management (AM) is to ensure that the supplier and the acquirer perform according to the terms of the supplier agreement.
Specific Practices by Goal
SG 1 Satisfy Supplier Agreements SP 1.1 Execute the Supplier Agreement SP 1.2 Monitor Selected Supplier Processes SP 1.3 Accept the Acquired Product SP 1.4 Manage Supplier Invoices
Capacity and Availability Management (CAM) A Support process area at Maturity Level 3
Purpose
The purpose of Capacity and Availability Management (CAM) is to ensure effective service system performance and ensure that resources are provided and used effectively to support service requirements.
Specific Practices by Goal
SG 1 Prepare for Capacity and Availability Management SP 1.1 Establish a Capacity and Availability Management Strategy SP 1.2 Select Measures and Analytic Techniques SP 1.3 Establish Service System Representations SG 2 Monitor and Analyze Capacity and Availability SP 2.1 Monitor and Analyze Capacity SP 2.2 Monitor and Analyze Availability SP 2.3 Report Capacity and Availability Management Data
Causal Analysis and Resolution (CAR) A Support process area at Maturity Level 5
Purpose
The purpose of Causal Analysis and Resolution (CAR) is to identify causes of selected outcomes and take action to improve process performance.
Specific Practices by Goal
SG 1 Determine Causes of Selected Outcomes SP 1.1 Select Outcomes for Analysis SP 1.2 Analyze Causes SG 2 Address Causes of Selected Outcomes SP 2.1 Implement Action Proposals SP 2.2 Evaluate the Effect of Implemented Actions SP 2.3 Record Causal Analysis Data
Configuration Management (CM) A Support process area at Maturity Level 2
Purpose
The purpose of Configuration Management (CM) is to establish and maintain the integrity of work products using configuration identification, configuration control, configuration status accounting, and configuration audits.
Specific Practices by Goal
SG 1 Establish Baselines SP 1.1 Identify Configuration Items SP 1.2 Establish a Configuration Management System SP 1.3 Create or Release Baselines SG 2 Track and Control Changes SP 2.1 Track Change Requests SP 2.2 Control Configuration Items SG 3 Establish Integrity SP 3.1 Establish Configuration Management Records SP 3.2 Perform Configuration Audits
Decision Analysis and Resolution (DAR) A Support process area at Maturity Level 3
Purpose
The purpose of Decision Analysis and Resolution (DAR) is to analyze possible decisions using a formal evaluation process that evaluates identified alternatives against established criteria.
Specific Practices by Goal
SG 1 Evaluate Alternatives SP 1.1 Establish Guidelines for Decision Analysis SP 1.2 Establish Evaluation Criteria SP 1.3 Identify Alternative Solutions SP 1.4 Select Evaluation Methods SP 1.5 Evaluate Alternative Solutions SP 1.6 Select Solutions
Integrated Project Management (IPM) A Project Management process area at Maturity Level 3
Purpose
The purpose of Integrated Project Management (IPM) is to establish and manage the project and the involvement of relevant stakeholders according to an integrated and defined process that is tailored from the organization's set of standard processes.
Specific Practices by Goal
SG 1 Use the Project's Defined Process SP 1.1 Establish the Project's Defined Process SP 1.2 Use Organizational Process Assets for Planning Project Activities SP 1.3 Establish the Project's Work Environment SP 1.4 Integrate Plans SP 1.5 Manage the Project Using the Integrated Plans SP 1.6 Establish Teams SP 1.7 Contribute to Organizational Process Assets SG 2 Coordinate and Collaborate with Relevant Stakeholders SP 2.1 Manage Stakeholder Involvement SP 2.2 Manage Dependencies SP 2.3 Resolve Coordination Issues
Measurement and Analysis (MA) A Support process area at Maturity Level 2
Purpose
The purpose of Measurement and Analysis (MA) is to develop and sustain a measurement capability used to support management information needs.
Specific Practices by Goal
SG 1 Align Measurement and Analysis Activities SP 1.1 Establish Measurement Objectives Resources, People, Facilities and Techniques. SP 1.2 Specify Measures Information Needs Document, Guidance, Reference and Reporting. SP 1.3 Specify Data Collection and Storage Procedures Sources, Methods, Frequency and Owners. SP 1.4 Specify Analysis Procedures Rules, Alarms, SPC and Variance. SG 2 Provide Measurement Results SP 2.1 Obtain Measurement Data Actual, Plan, Automatic and Manual. SP 2.2 Analyze Measurement Data Evaluate, Drill Down, RCA. SP 2.3 Store Data and Results Store, Secure, Accessible, History and Evidence. SP 2.4 Communicate Results Information Sharing, Dash Boards, Up to Date, Simple and Interpret.
Organizational Process Definition (OPD) A Process Management process area at Maturity Level 3
Purpose
The purpose of Organizational Process Definition (OPD) is to establish and maintain a usable set of organizational process assets, work environment standards, and rules and guidelines for teams.
Specific Practices by Goal
SG 1 Establish Organizational Process Assets SP 1.1 Establish Standard Processes SP 1.2 Establish Lifecycle Model Descriptions SP 1.3 Establish Tailoring Criteria and Guidelines SP 1.4 Establish the Organization's Measurement Repository SP 1.5 Establish the Organization's Process Asset Library SP 1.6 Establish Work Environment Standards SP 1.7 Establish Rules and Guidelines for Teams
Organizational Process Focus (OPF) A Process Management process area at Maturity Level 3
Purpose
The purpose of Organizational Process Focus (OPF) is to plan, implement, and deploy organizational process improvements based on a thorough understanding of current strengths and weaknesses of the organization's processes and process assets.
Specific Practices by Goal
SG 1 Determine Process Improvement Opportunities SP 1.1 Establish Organizational Process Needs SP 1.2 Appraise the Organization's Processes SP 1.3 Identify the Organization's Process Improvements SG 2 Plan and Implement Process Improvements SP 2.1 Establish Process Action Plans SP 2.2 Implement Process Action Plans