The Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) was originally developed over 30 years ago, as a collaboration between a group of process improvement experts and the Department of Defense, the software development industry, and Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The goal of the project was to be able to assess the capability of DOD’s software engineering contractors to ensure a uniform level of adherence and capability to standard software development measures.
The initiative, termed the “Capability Maturity Model” at the time, was intended to support, and improve software engineering processes, and define how processes align to a set of standards centered on improvement and accuracy.
Currently, the CMMI model framework has been announced, with some changes, and most importantly, with new content on Agile, DevSecOps, Data, Safety, Security, and People for continuous improvements. With the release of the CMMI model, CMMI Model instruction and training courses were introduced, as well as a framework for conducting CMMI appraisal. A pathway was also established with the idea of including additional model views, processes, content, and practice areas as is seen in today’s offering of various model views.
The CMMI Model is a well-defined collection of best practices to enable businesses to perform better, by developing and assessing their level of essential competencies as they align with best practices. Aligning to the CMMI model allows organizations to focus on the performance improvement of business practices and in turn, find the path to improving business performance. The Model is intended to be simple to use, adaptable, and compatible with other approaches, like Agile, and DevSecOps.
