What is this "Random Sample" about, and why do I need it? New for CMMI V2.0, the "RGS" is a way to ensure that projects for your appraisal are not "cherry picked," and that ALL of your organizational unit is, in fact, performing at ML3. First, a little history. Back in the bad-old days, there wasn't a lot of guidance about what should be included in an appraisal.  For v1.0, Lead Appraisers could identify whatever scope they wanted, and also exclude whatever Process Areas they wanted.  This was OK for credible and ethical Lead Appraisers, but like any other business opportunity, the s ..read more

The ALL-NEW CMMI V2.0 is out, and can now be used to improve performance even more (and to receive a Maturity Level).  Here's five things that you need to know now. 1. It's smaller, sort of. Version 1.3 of the CMMI has 356 Practices in Maturity Level Three.  These included all of the Generic and Specific practices across eighteen Process Areas. Version 2.0 eliminates the Generic Practices altogether (whoo hooo?), combines Requirements Management (REQM) and Requirements Development (RD) into one Practice Area, and mashes up Validation and Verification.  Great!  But wait....there is a NEW Pra ..read more

Dear Appraiser. Our customer is telling us we need to be CMMI Level 3.  The way I understand it, there are multiple versions - Development, Services, and Acquisition.  Which one should we adopt? ~Bill F. Dear Bill, GREAT QUESTION! You are correct - there are several "versions" of CMMI to choose from. In the soon-to-be-retired version of CMMI, v1.3, we call these "Constellations."  Each of these reflected a different "version" of CMMI, and companies chose one of them depending on what their mission, goals, and context was.  The constellations are "CMMI for Development" (CMMI-DEV), "CMMI for ..read more

Hey, CMMI Appraiser, Our new CEO says she wants to maintain the company’s investment in version CMMI v1.3, then transition to the new Upgrade CMMI V2.0 and Agile over time. But here’s the problem: She describes CMMI as a framework for helping us take action to improve engineering, and says that, once we truly start the process of embracing the CMMI with a proper CMMI appraisal, we’ll be on the path to becoming a great company. That’s nothing like our experience. When I was the CMMI sponsor last time, we went with a low-cost Lead Appraiser, and all we did was chase paper. Where do companies li ..read more

Welcome back to Ask the CMMI Appraiser for today’s installment of CMMI User Stories! We’ve been sharing excerpts from our recent study of what CMMI users really think about the CMMI. Question #1: “Are projects more predictable with the CMMI?” Question #2: “Did you experience an increase in quality or performance?” Question #3: “Did you experience a decrease in defects?” Question #4: “With the CMMI, are customers happier with your performance?” Question #5: “Did you experience an ROI?” Question #6: “Does your maturity level rating differentiate you from competitors?” Today we're highlight ..read more

Welcome back to Ask the CMMI Appraiser for today’s installment of CMMI User Stories, where we've been sharing excerpts from our recent study of what CMMI users really think about the CMMI. If you've missed the previous posts, here's a roundup: Question #1: “Are projects more predictable with the CMMI?”  Question #2: “Did you experience an increase in quality or performance?” Question #3: “Did you experience a decrease in defects?” Question #4: “With the CMMI, are customers happier with your performance?” Today we're highlighting Question #5: Did you experience an ROI? Adoption of a proc ..read more

Welcome back to Ask the CMMI Appraiser for today’s installment of CMMI User Stories! We’ve been sharing excerpts from our recent study of what CMMI users really think about the CMMI. If you're just joining us, or would appreciate a recap, below are the first five questions we explored, followed by today's question. Question #1: “Are projects more predictable with the CMMI?” Question #2: “Did you experience an increase in quality or performance?” Question #3: “Did you experience a decrease in defects?” Question #4: “With the CMMI, are customers happier with your performance?” Question #5 ..read more

Dear Readers, Welcome back to Ask the CMMI Appraiser for today’s installment of CMMI User Stories! We’ve been sharing excerpts from our recent study of what CMMI users really think about the CMMI. Question #1: “Are projects more predictable with the CMMI?” Question #2: “Did you experience an increase in quality or performance?” Question #3: “Did you experience a decrease in defects?” Today we're highlighting Question #4: With the CMMI, are customers happier with your performance? In a strong indicator that the CMMI is delivering on a core promise, sixty-one percent said yes, customers ..read more

Welcome back to Ask the CMMI Appraiser for today’s installment of CMMI User Stories! We’ve been sharing excerpts from our recent study of what CMMI users really think about the CMMI. Question #1: “Are projects more predictable with the CMMI?” Question #2: “Did you experience an increase in quality or performance?” Question #3: “Did you experience a decrease in defects?” Question #4: “With the CMMI, are customers happier with your performance?” Question #5: “Did you experience an ROI?” Question #6: “Does your maturity level rating differentiate you from competitors?” Question #7: “Does ..read more

Welcome back to Ask the CMMI Appraiser for today’s installment of CMMI User Stories! We’ve been sharing excerpts from our recent study of what CMMI users really think about the CMMI. Question #1: “Are projects more predictable with the CMMI?” Question #2: “Did you experience an increase in quality or performance?” Question #3: “Did you experience a decrease in defects?” Question #4: “With the CMMI, are customers happier with your performance?” Question #5: “Did you experience an ROI?” Question #6: “Does your maturity level rating differentiate you from competitors?” Question #7: “Does yo ..read more