Interpreting CMMI Models

CMMI describes the best practices of organizations. These best practices can be used by organizations to improve their processes for developing, acquiring, and maintaining products and services. While a new enterprise might wish to establish its processes using these best practices, they are more commonly of interest to organizations that are seeking to improve their existing processes.

Such organizations must use professional judgment to interpret CMMI practices. Although process areas depict behavior that should be exhibited in any organization, practices must be interpreted using an in-depth knowledge of CMMI, the discipline(s), the organization, the business environment, and the specific circumstances involved.

As you begin using a CMMI model for improving processes, you should map your processes to CMMI process areas. This mapping enables you to track your organization's level of conformance to the CMMI model you are using and to easily identify opportunities for improvement.

To interpret practices, it is important to consider the overall context in which they will be used and to determine how well the practices satisfy the goals of a process area in that context. CMMI models do not imply which processes are right for an organization or project. Instead, CMMI establishes minimal criteria necessary to plan and implement processes selected by the organization for improvement based on business objectives.

CMMI practices purposely use nonspecific phrases such as "relevant stakeholders," "as appropriate," and "as necessary" to accommodate the needs of different organizations or projects. Specific needs may also differ at various points during a project's life.