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Home > News > Level 5, the highest level of CMMI,
an international barometer of the software development process capability maturation level, attained


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2004.03.03

Level 5, the highest level of CMMI,
an international barometer of the software development process capability maturation level, attained


NTT Comware Corporation (Hereinafter NTT Comware, Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President Yuji Matsuo) attained Level 5 of the CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integration) which is the international barometer that evaluates and judges the level of capability maturity of software development processes.


[ Outline of the CMMI Level 5 ]

CMMI is composed of 5 levels from Level 1 to Level 5 and the CMMI Level 5 is the highest level. It recognizes that "the quality as well as the delivery date and productivity of the systems / products / service developed by all the projects are quantitatively managed, is able to respond autonomously to prevention factors, and that the process improvement activities can be continuously promoted by the entire organization."
CMMI is an integration of the software CMM and the software supply CMM. According to the Web site of the US Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Research Institute which is the creator and operator of the CMMI and the CMM, approximately 450 organizations have attained either the CMMI or the CMM and amongst them approximately 2% have attained Level 5. Furthermore, the above mentioned research institute recommends the shift from CMM to CMMI.
Within NTT Comware, 4 pilot projects, approximately 450 employees, attained the CMMI Level 5.


[ Process of achievement ]

NTT Comware is constantly working on development process improvements in order to raise quality and productivity, and acquired the ISO9001 (1994 edition) attestation in 1997 and the ISO9001 (2000 edition) attestation in 2002. Furthermore, in order to enhance its superiority in the market, process improvement based on the CMM, which makes a more objective assessment of that ability possible, was conducted and in July of 2003 the entire Development Division (approximately 3,200 employees) attained the CMM Level 3.


[ Future undertakings ]

At NTT Comware, following the attainment of the CMMI Level 5 by the pilot project, the company is working to achieve a goal of expanding this development process structure to the entire Development Division (approximately 3,200 employees). Also, within NTT Comware is the 24th Japanese CMM assessor (*1) and furthermore, the company is working on the training of CMMI lead appraisers.


[ Glossary ]

*1 CMM lead assessor, CMMI lead appraiser
An officially certified qualification of the US Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Research Institute authorizing the administration of examinations regarding the CMM and CMMI (called the CMM assessment, CMMI appraisal).


[ Reference ]

•CMMI capability maturity level
Capability maturity level Characteristics
CMMI level 1
(Initial condition)
The level where systematic management is not conducted.
The level where project management is dependent on an individual.
CMMI level 2
(Managed condition)
The level where procedures for project planning and management exists and is executed based on it.
CMMI level 3
(Defined condition)
The level where development processes that are executed in a cross-sectional manner within an organization are standardized and alternations to this are made while executing the project and it is possible to make revisions to the standard process.
CMMI level 4
(Quantitatively managed condition)
The level where development processes are quantitatively managed and where it is possible to make immediate alternations based on necessity.
CMMI level 5
(Optimization condition)
The level where autonomous revisions to the development process are possible.

•Differences between CMM and CMMI
Item CMM CMMI
Target Software development only. Apart from software development, system engineering, integrated products, as well as process development and procurement are also targets.
Model positioning One of the process revision models. Same as left. A next generation of the CMM. High consistency with the international standard ISO/IEC TR15504.
Creator and operating organization's (Carnegie Melon University) support Support (renewal of the CMM model, offering of CMM training, assessor accreditation) is to be ended as of the year 2003. Support was started in 1997.
Evaluation method Level representation only. The maturity level of an organization is evaluated on a 5 level scale. Level representation (the same 5 level evaluation as CMM) as well as continuous representation (6 level evaluation of the capability level per each process).



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