A Technical History of the SEI

Capability Maturity Model Integration
The Challenge: Developing a Single Framework for Process Improvement
The success of the various capability maturity models and supporting appraisal methods led the
community of users, both in DoD and in industry, to seek a more integrated approach to process
improvement. The DoD asked the SEI to develop a
model (and associated appraisal method) that would
merge the best practices for software development, systems
engineering, and acquisition into a single framework
that organizations could use for enterprise-wide
process improvement initiatives.
A Solution: The Capability Maturity
Model Integration
To improve on the Software Capability Maturity Model
(SW-CMM) released in 1993 and subsequent models focused
on systems engineering and integrated product
and process development, a team of best practice and
process improvement experts from government, industry,
and the SEI developed the Capability Maturity
Model Integration (CMMI) product suite. The update included
new process areas, updates to best practices, and
generic goals and practices that bring more attention to
the planning, definition, measurement, and management
of systems and software engineering processes. A continuous
representation was also created, in addition to
The View from Others
Our CMMI Level 5 rating puts us
ahead of many of our competitors.
This rating demonstrates to our
customers that we use proven processes
when performing on contracts—and
that we are committed
to a rigorous process improvement
plan to continue to up the ante.
– Tina Schechter, vice
president, Mission Success
& Information Technology,
for Lockheed Martin MS2
and executive champion for
the business unit’s CMMI
initiative
[Lockheed-Martin 2009]
the traditional staged representation, for organizations that wanted to focus on improvement in
certain process areas instead of pursuing an overall maturity rating.
In a capability maturity model, a continuous representation provides many benefits, including a
greater degree of granularity in planning and tracking organizational process improvement, and a
more revealing look at the trouble spots—and strengths—in organizational practices [CMMI
2010a]. In the continuous representation of CMMI, process areas are organized into categories,
such as Process Management, Project Management, Engineering, and Support. Based on its business
objectives, an organization selects the process areas in which it wants to improve (e.g., requirements
development, risk management, and supplier agreement management) and to what degree.
Instead of focusing on maturity levels, the organization uses capability levels (from 0 to 5)
to measure improvement relative to each process area. Achievement of a capability level is based
on achieving the appropriate specific and generic practices of the selected process area.
In 2002, the CMMI Product Team published the first comprehensive CMMI framework, including
models, training, and an appraisal method, which incorporated software, systems engineering,
integrated product and process development, and supplier sourcing [CMMI 2002]. The model was
rapidly adopted by industry.
CMU/SEI-2016-SR-027 | SOFTWARE ENGINEERING INSTITUTE | CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY 128
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