Methods of IT Project Management, Fourth Edition by Jeffrey L. Brewer and Kevin C. Dittman

Author:Jeffrey L. Brewer and Kevin C. Dittman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Purdue University Press
Published: 2022-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

A maturity model can also be used as a benchmark for assessing different organizations for equivalent comparison. The text covers this topic in more detail in Chapter 14; for now, you just need to know that the CMMI has become a strategic marketing tool for outsourcing firms. Organizations have used CMMI certification as an excellent way to separate themselves from the competition. The U.S. government has mandated that all technology vendors who aspire to perform work for the U.S. government must be CMMI certified.

The CMMI defines five levels of process maturity: (1) initial, (2) managed, (3) defined, (4) quantitatively managed, and (5) optimizing. Maturity levels provide a defined evolutionary path for achieving a better, more mature systems development process. Levels 2 through 5 contain several key process areas that an organization must have in place and working to achieve a particular level of maturity. A process area is a collection of best practices specific to a project phase or related set of activities, such as configuration management or quality assurance. Immature organizations appear at Level 1 and are characterized by software processes that are ad hoc or not present at all. Each project team makes up its own process or doesn’t use one at all. Successful projects are possible only if the team is very talented and dedicated. Because there are few or no defined processes, these organizations often operate in “fire fight” mode, running from one problem (fire) to the next. If a project schedule or budget is created, it is grossly inaccurate. Without defined processes that are measurable, these organizations have nothing to measure and improve. They will stay in this state perpetually.

In stark contrast, organizations that have moved up the maturity scale, even from Level 1 to a Level 2, have seen tremendous improvements. Mature organizations have more predicable outcomes and repeatable successes. At Level 2, project schedules and budgets are prepared for every project and are based on previous projects, helping to make them more accurate. Metrics are established, and the organization strives for improvements on every project. The processes become consistent across all projects, aiding in training, communication, and staffing.

Benefits attributed to achieving CMMI-defined maturity are as follows:

Improved schedule and budget predictability

Improved cycle time

Increased team productivity

Improved product quality

Increased customer satisfaction

Improved team morale

Increased ROI

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