One of the more famous initiatives from the USA which is gaining a lot of ground around the world.

CMMI, according to the official web site as . .

Capability Maturity Model® Integration (CMMI) is a process improvement approach that provides organizations with the essential elements of effective processes. It can be used to guide process improvement across a project, a division, or an entire organization. CMMI helps integrate traditionally separate organizational functions, set process improvement goals and priorities, provide guidance for quality processes, and provide a point of reference for appraising current processes.

In other words, it seeks to be a set of best practices, which, if followed, will lead to business advantage. It has four levels of “maturity”, ranging from totally imature to “optimising.

• Level one, is where most people are: ad hoc project management
• Level two, means you can do one project at a time, but maybe all your projects are done differently
• Level three means you have a common way of doing all your projects
• Level four means your are truly metrics driven and an organisation which is optimising its performance.

The handbook is not a gripping read. If you liked the easy style of Project Workout, then you’ll find the CMMI handbook is the exact opposite. It is the only book I’ve read which I needed to go on a course to know what it really means to say!  That said, once you get through the style and the jargon there is a lot of sense in it.  Used properly and supported by the right consultants, CMMI can make a difference. The main drive however seems to be that many government departments are starting to require it. That can be its success and its downfall as many organisations will take CMMI on in order to “get the badge” rather than really make a difference to their business operations.

I have used CMMI and I can reconcile it with my own ideas in Project Workout. However, like the PMI it shows its IT contractor industry roots and perhaps that is why it is so difficult to understand. Why make something easy to read and use, if you can make a mint out of explaining it as well!

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