SEI Releases Version 1.3 of CMMI Product Suite

PITTSBURGH, Oct. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- The Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University today released the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Version 1.3, which includes improvements to the entire product suite: CMMI for Development (CMMI-DEV), CMMI for Acquisition (CMMI-ACQ), and CMMI for Services (CMMI-SVC).

"Current CMMI users will find familiar content in the new version. The linkage of organizational performance management to both current and future business objectives is stronger. The three constellations can easily be adopted, used, and appraised together or separately," said Anita Carleton, director, SEI Software Engineering Process Management Program. "And both experienced and new users will find a leaner model with more clarity."

Changes to the product suite include clarifications of high maturity areas, aligning the material in the 16 core process areas (PAs) that are common to all three models, improvements to the appraisal method (SCAMPI), and revisions to related training offered by the SEI.

"This release of CMMI Version 1.3 brings all three of our constellations into even stronger harmony, making the combination of the three an enterprise approach for process improvement—one of the primary goals of the integration element that makes this CMMI," said Mike Phillips, CMMI program manager at the SEI.

CMMI V1.3 reflects the latest approaches to modern engineering along with Agile-method use, Lean Six Sigma, supplier agreement management, and organization training.

"The CMMI Model Team worked closely with CMMI users in government and industry to incorporate changes that brought greater harmonization to the Development, Acquisition, and Services models and linked them more closely," said Paul Nielsen, SEI director and CEO.

"One of the biggest challenges for CMMI V1.3 was the clarification of high maturity," said M. Lynn Penn, director, Process Management, Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Solutions, and CMMI V1.3 Industry and High Maturity Team lead.  "CMMI V1.3 gave us the opportunity to establish explicit high maturity requirements based on the experience and input from industry contributors."

This latest iteration also represents a more efficient model for users. By clarifying and consolidating practices, the CMMI team reduced the overall size of model documents for two of the three constellations. CMMI-DEV alone has been reduced by 100 pages.

The release includes the publication of SEI technical reports and the publication of the model on the SEI website at http://www.sei.cmu.edu/cmmi/tools/cmmiv1-3.

Subsequent months will see the public release of upgrade training for appraisers as well as updated CMMI training courses, and Version 1.3 of the SCAMPI appraisal method.

Model upgrade training for CMMI Version 1.3 is available and required for appraisal team members (ATMs) who participate in high maturity appraisals, instructors, and lead appraisers. Other ATMs will not be required to take the upgrade training unless their lead appraiser requires it. For a table that details the upgrade requirements for various roles, see the SEI website at http://www.sei.cmu.edu/cmmi/tools/cmmiv1-3/qualification.cfm.

For more information or for frequently asked questions about CMMI Version 1.3, see the SEI website at http://www.sei.cmu.edu/cmmi/tools/cmmiv1-3/.

About the Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute

The Software Engineering Institute (SEI) is a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense and operated by Carnegie Mellon University. The SEI helps organizations make measurable improvements in their software engineering capabilities by providing technical leadership to advance the practice of software engineering. For more information, visit the SEI website at http://www.sei.cmu.edu.

SOURCE Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute