A Technical History of the SEI

improvement causes People CMM results to affect operational performance of units and the organization
as a whole. The People CMM provides guidance that improves an organization’s ability
to satisfy the identified business objectives by deploying a competent, capable workforce that
is executing and continuously improving its business processes.
In 2001, the People CMM was updated using lessons learned, change requests from users, input
from the SEI advisory board, and the latest research on organizational quality improvement. The
book, The People Capability Maturity Model, Guidelines for Improving the Workforce, was published
as part of the Addison-Wesley SEI Series [Hefley 2002]. It contains new guidance for users
as well as case studies from organizations using the model. The case studies identify a trend of
use in organizations providing products and services to the public; case studies include Novo
Nordisk IT/AS, Europe and Tata Consulting Services, India.
A second edition of the 2002 publication of the People CMM was released in 2010 [Curtis 2009].
This updated version has made no change to the model but has added more examples and explanatory
subpractices. In addition, the front matter has been expanded to provide more guidance to
the reader and user, and new case studies added, some of which were written entirely by People
CMM customers. Newly titled People CMM, Second Edition, A Framework for Human Capital
Management, the book focuses on how the People CMM is being applied and by what types of
organizations. It contains seven new case studies: Boeing, Intel Information Technology, Pfizer
Worldwide Technology, Ericsson, Accenture, Club Mahindra, HCLT BPO, and Tata Consultancy
Services. While case studies provide an insight into the use of the People CMM as a guide and
demonstrate an organization’s journey as they mature, it must be noted that some specifics have
been omitted as they are considered competitive advantage.
The Consequence: A Competent Workforce That Can Meet Business Goals
The People CMM clearly meets a perceived as well as stated need. Organizations have guidance
enabling them to improve their ability to satisfy their identified business objectives by deploying a
competent, capable workforce that is executing and continuously improving its business processes.
In addition to DoD organizations, defense contractors, and other government agencies, national
and even international organizations have adopted the model as the basis for their improvement
efforts. Such organizations include the areas of business process outsourcing, hospitality, construction,
insurance, energy and utilities, banking and financial services, information technology,
consulting, pharmaceutical, software development, and management information systems.
The People CMM has also been used to support and sustain the attainment of CMMI maturity levels
by building competencies and a workforce that can successfully execute and manage organizational
business processes. Use of the People CMM has now been verified in Europe, Asia, and
Australia as well as in North America.
CMU/SEI-2016-SR-027 | SOFTWARE ENGINEERING INSTITUTE | CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY 122
Distribution Statement A: Approved for Public Release; Distribution is Unlimited.