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Capability Maturity Model (CMM) Special Interest Topic
This page provides information about how Nexbridge fits into the Capability
Maturity Model (CMM) Version 1.1.[SEI1993a].
Because of our approach and methodologies to managing on-going change,
Nexbridge is in an ideal position to help you raise the level of your emerging
corporate process maturity.
From this page, you can get to some of our services as they relate to CMM.
Our hope is that you will avail yourselves of our expertise in this area. Be
aware that this page represents the Software CMM Version 1.1 only. We are
currently assessing the integrated SE/SW/IPPD Version 1.02 model and will be
updating this page after this assessment is completed. Please contact
us for more information.
At CMM Level 1, the software process is an amorphous entity – a black box
– and visibility into the project's processes is limited. Since the staging
of activities is poorly defined, managers have an extremely difficult time
establishing the status of the project's progress and activities. Requirements
flow into the software process in an uncontrolled manner, and a product
results. Software development is frequently viewed as black magic, especially
by managers who are unfamiliar with software.
At CMM Level 2, the customer requirements and work products are controlled,
and basic project management practices have been established. These management
controls allow visibility into the project on defined occasions. The process
of building the software can be viewed as a succession of black boxes that
allows management visibility at transition points as activity flows between
project milestones. Even though management may not know the details of what is
happening in the box, the products of the process and checkpoints for
confirming that the process is working are identified and known. Management
reacts to problems as they occur.
The key process areas at Level 2 focus on the software project's concerns
related to establishing basic project management controls. The key process
areas for CMM Level 2 are:
- Requirements Management
- The purpose of Requirements Management is to establish a common
understanding between the customer and the software project of the
customer's requirements that will be addressed by the software project.
This agreement with the customer is the basis for planning (as described
in Software Project Planning) and
managing (as described in Software
Project Tracking and Oversight) the software project. Control of the
relationship with the customer depends on following an effective change
control process (as described in Software
Configuration Management).
- Software Configuration
Management
- The purpose of Software Configuration Management is to establish and
maintain the integrity of the products of the software project throughout
the project's software life cycle. Software Configuration Management is an
integral part of most software engineering and management processes.
Nexbridge provides services to support this process area
through our Product Deployment and Configuration
Management service.
- Software Project Planning
- The purpose of Software Project Planning is to establish reasonable
plans for performing the software engineering and for managing the
software project. These plans are the necessary foundation for managing
the software project (as described in Software
Project Tracking and Oversight). Without realistic plans, effective
project management cannot be implemented.
Nexbridge provides services to support this process area
through our Project Management and Systems
Analysis and Design services.
- Software Project Tracking and
Oversight
- The purpose of Software Project Tracking and Oversight is to establish
adequate visibility into actual progress so that management can take
effective actions when the software project's performance deviates
significantly from the software plans.
Nexbridge provides services to support this process area
through Project Management.
- Software Quality Assurance
- The purpose of Software Quality Assurance is to provide management with
appropriate visibility into the process being used by the software project
and of the products being built. Software Quality Assurance is an integral
part of most software engineering and management processes.
Nexbridge provides services to support this process area
through our Systems Analysis and Design
service.
- Software Subcontract
Management
- The purpose of Software Subcontract Management is to select qualified
software subcontractors and manage them effectively. It combines the
concerns of Requirements Management,
Software Project Planning, and Software
Project Tracking and Oversight for basic management control, along
with necessary coordination of Software
Quality Assurance and Software
Configuration Management, and applies this control to the
subcontractor as appropriate.
Nexbridge provides services to support this process area
through our Advocate service.
At CMM Level 3, the internal structure of the project's defined software
process is visible. The internal structure represents the way the
organization's standard software process has been applied to specific
projects. Both managers and engineers understand their roles and
responsibilities within the process and how their activities interact at the
appropriate level of detail. Management proactively prepares for risks that
may arise. Individuals external to the project can obtain accurate and rapid
status updates because defined processes afford great visibility into project
activities.
The key process areas at Level 3 address both project and organizational
issues, as the organization establishes an infrastructure that
institutionalizes effective software engineering and management processes
across all projects. The key process areas for Level 3 are:
- Organization Process Focus
- The purpose of Organization Process Focus is to establish the
organizational responsibility for software process activities that improve
the organization's overall software process capability. The primary result
of the Organization Process Focus activities is a set of software process
assets, which are described in Organization Process Definition. These
assets are used by the software projects, as is described in Integrated
Software Management.
Nexbridge provides services to support this process area
through our Process Engineering service.
- Organization Process
Definition
- The purpose of Organization Process Definition is to develop and
maintain a usable set of software process assets that improve process
performance across the projects and provide a basis for cumulative,
long-term benefits to the organization. These assets provide a stable
foundation that can be institutionalized via mechanisms such as training,
which is described in Training Program.
Nexbridge provides services to support this process area
through our Process Engineering service.
- Training Program
- The purpose of Training Program is to develop the skills and knowledge
of individuals so they can perform their roles effectively and
efficiently. Training is an organizational responsibility, but the
software projects should identify their needed skills and provide the
necessary training when the project's needs are unique.
Nexbridge provides services to support this process area
through our Coaching and Mentoring program.
- Integrated Software
Management
- The purpose of Integrated Software Management is to integrate the
software engineering and management activities into a coherent, defined
software process that is tailored from the organization's standard
software process and related process assets, which are described in
Organization Process Definition. This tailoring is based on the business
environment and technical needs of the project, as described in Software
Product Engineering. Integrated Software Management evolves from Software
Project Planning and Software Project Tracking and Oversight at Level 2.
Nexbridge provides services to support this process area
through our Product Management service.
- Software Product Engineering
- The purpose of Software Product Engineering is to consistently perform a
well-defined engineering process that integrates all the software
engineering activities to produce correct, consistent software products
effectively and efficiently. Software Product Engineering describes the
technical activities of the project, e.g., requirements analysis, design,
code, and test.
Nexbridge provides services to support this process area
through our Product Management service.
- Intergroup Coordination
- The purpose of Intergroup Coordination is to establish a means for the
software engineering group to participate actively with the other
engineering groups so the project is better able to satisfy the customer's
needs effectively and efficiently. Intergroup Coordination is the
interdisciplinary aspect of Integrated Software Management that extends
beyond software engineering; not only should the software process be
integrated, but the software engineering group's interactions with other
groups must be coordinated and controlled.
Nexbridge provides services to support this process area
through our Watchdog service.
- Peer Reviews
- The purpose of is to remove defects from the software work products
early and efficiently. An important corollary effect is to develop a
better understanding of the software work products and of the defects that
can be prevented. The peer review is an important and effective
engineering method that is called out in Software Product Engineering and
that can be implemented via Fagan-style inspections [Fagan1986a],
structured walkthroughs, or a number of other collegial review methods [Freedman1990a].
Nexbridge provides services to support this process area
through our Watchdog service.
At CMM Level 4, the defined software processes are instrumented and
controlled quantitatively. Managers are able to measure progress and problems.
They have an objective, quantitative basis for making decisions. Their ability
to predict outcomes grows steadily more precise as the variability in the
process grows smaller.
The key process areas at Level 4 focus on establishing a quantitative
understanding of both the software process and the software work products
being built. The key process areas at this level are:
- Quantitative Process
Management
- The purpose of Quantitative Process Management is to control the process
performance of the software project quantitatively. Software process
performance represents the actual results achieved from following a
software process. The focus is on identifying special causes of variation
within a measurably stable process and correcting, as appropriate, the
circumstances that drove the transient variation to occur. Quantitative
Process Management adds a comprehensive measurement program to the
practices of Organization Process
Definition, Integrated
Software Management, Intergroup
Coordination, and Peer Reviews.
- Software Quality Management
- The purpose of Software Quality Management is to develop a quantitative
understanding of the quality of the project's software products and
achieve specific quality goals. Software Quality Management applies a
comprehensive measurement program to the software work products described
in Software Product Engineering.
At CMM Level 5, new and improved ways of building the software are
continually tried, in a controlled manner, to improve productivity and
quality. Disciplined change is a way of life as inefficient or defect-prone
activities are identified and replaced or revised. Insight extends beyond
existing processes and into the effects of potential changes to processes.
Managers are able to estimate and then track quantitatively the impact and
effectiveness of change.
The key process areas at Level 5 cover the issues that both the
organization and the projects must address to implement continuous and
measurable software process improvement. The key process areas for Level 5
are:
- Defect Prevention
- The purpose of Defect Prevention is to identify the causes of defects
and prevent them from recurring. The software project analyzes defects,
identifies their causes, and changes its defined software process, as is
described in Integrated Software Management. Process changes of general
value are transitioned to other software projects, as is described in
Process Change Management.
Nexbridge provides services to support this process area
through our Strategic Planning and Validation
and Process Modeling services.
- Technology Change Management
- The purpose of Technology Change Management is to identify beneficial
new technologies (i.e., tools, methods, and processes) and transfer them
into the organization in an orderly manner, as is described in Process
Change Management. The focus of Technology Change Management is on
performing innovation efficiently in an ever-changing world.
Nexbridge provides services to support this process area
through Scenario Planning and Recognition
and Requirements
Elicitation and Scenario Capture.
- Process Change Management
- The purpose of Process Change Management is to continually improve the
software processes used in the organization with the intent of improving
software quality, increasing productivity, and decreasing the cycle time
for product development. Process Change Management takes the incremental
improvements of Defect Prevention and the innovative improvements of
Technology Change Management and makes them available to the entire
organization.
Nexbridge provides services to support this process area
through our Scenario Planning and Recognition,
Requirements
Elicitation and Scenario Capture and Process
Modeling services.
Contact Information
- Telephone
- +1-416-984-9826
- FAX
- 416-984-9827
- Postal address
- Nexbridge Inc.
- Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada
- Electronic mail
- General Information: info@nexbridge.com
Service Information: service@nexbridge.com
Customer Support: support@nexbridge.com
Webmaster: web@nexbridge.com
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