Specific Practices

Specific practices are expected model components that are considered important guidance for achieving specific goals. Most specific practices are exactly the same in both representations. The exceptions are a few practices that are viewed differently when using one or the other model representation.

In the staged representation, all specific practices are viewed equally. Capability levels of specific practices are not recognized (they appear in the numbering of the specific practice but this information is considered irrelevant in the staged representation); therefore, base and advanced practices are not recognized concepts.

Base and Advanced Practices

In the continuous representation, each specific practice is assigned a capability level. Practices with a capability level of one are called base practices. Those with capability levels greater than one are called advanced practices.

For example, within the Requirements Management process area, "Develop an understanding with the requirements providers on the meaning of the requirements" is a capability level 1 (base) specific practice, whereas "Obtain commitment to the requirements from the project participants" is a capability level 2 (advanced) specific practice.

Table 5.2. Process Areas and Their Associated Categories and Maturity Levels

Process Area	Category	Maturity Level
Causal Analysis and Resolution	Support	5
Configuration Management	Support	2
Decision Analysis and Resolution	Support	3
Integrated Project Management	Project Management	3
Integrated Supplier Management	Project Management	3
Integrated Teaming	Project Management	3
Measurement and Analysis	Support	2
Organizational Environment for Integration	Support	3
Organizational Innovation and Deployment	Process Management	5
Organizational Process Definition	Process Management	3
Organizational Process Focus	Process Management	3
Organizational Process Performance	Process Management	4
Organizational Training	Process Management	3
Product Integration	Engineering	3
Project Monitoring and Control	Project Management	2
Project Planning	Project Management	2
Process and Product Quality Assurance	Support	2
Quantitative Project Management	Project Management	4
Requirements Development	Engineering	3
Requirements Management	Engineering	2
Risk Management	Project Management	3
Supplier Agreement Management	Project Management	2
Technical Solution	Engineering	3
Validation	Engineering	3
Verification	Engineering	3

There are two types of advanced practices. The first type is an advanced practice that does not build on a base practice. When this happens, the advanced practice is included in the staged representation.

The second type of advanced practice is an advanced practice that builds on a base practice. When this happens, the advanced practice is included in the staged representation as a specific practice, but the base practice is not included because the concept is very similar and is already captured in the advanced practice.^[1]

^[1] This happens four times in CMMI, twice in the Requirements Development process area and twice in the Technical Solution process area.

An example of this is in the Requirements Development process area, SP1.1-1, Collect Stakeholder Needs, and SP1.1-2, Elicit Needs. SP 1.1-1 states: "Identify and collect stakeholder needs, expectations, constraints, and interfaces for all phases of the product life cycle." SP 1.1-2 states: "Elicit stakeholder needs, expectations, constraints, and interfaces for all phases of the product life cycle." As you can see, the only difference in the specific practices is that SP1.1-1 uses "collect" (which is more passive) and SP1.1-2 uses "elicit" (which is much more proactive).

Because of the second type of advanced practice, there is not always a one-to-one relationship between the specific practices in the continuous and the staged representations.

In Part Two, you will see both continuous and staged views of the specific practices. The base practices that are not included in the staged representation (those that are built on by an advanced practice) are displayed in the same process area, but are marked "Continuous Only."

The specific practice-numbering scheme identifies these two types of advanced practices. Specific practices are numbered so that you can identify to which specific goal the practice is mapped, its sequence number, and its capability level. For example, in Requirements Management, the first specific practice of the first specific goal is numbered 1.1-1 and the second is 1.2-2. The numbering indicates that there is an advanced practice, SP 1.2-2.

The number also indicates that this is the first type of advanced practice that does not build on the preceding base practice. In the case of the second type of advanced practice, the sequence number is the same for both specific practices; for example, in Requirements Development the first specific practice of the first specific goal is numbered 1.1-1 and the second is numbered 1.1-2.

Figure 5.3 illustrates these different views. In the continuous representation, advanced practices appear with the base practices as expected model components. If an organization chooses to pursue capability level 3 in a process area, it will use all of the base practices as well as the capability level 2 and level 3 advanced practices when trying to achieve the goals of the process area.

Figure 5.3. How Advanced Practices Are Handled in Each Representation