Software Quality Assurance within the CMMi framework

A tabulated and annotated version of CMMi for Software Development is presented here.

The intention is to present this information within a Software Quality Assurance context in order to position SQA activities within CMMi.

Software Quality Assurance - CMMi
*** CLICK ANY PROCESS AREA TO BEGIN NAVIGATION ***
Software Quality Assurance Overview.

A tabulated annotated version of CMMi Process Areas.

Everything in the white boxes is additional material to the official CMMi documentation.

The purpose of the annotations is to elaborate on the
How to
for CMMi process implementation.

Causal Analysis and Resolution (CAR) Configuration Management (CM) Decision Analysis and Resolution (DAR)
Integrated Project Management +IPPD (IPM+IPPD) Measurement and Analysis (MA) Organizational Innovation and Deployment (OID)
Organizational Process Definition +IPPD (OPD+IPPD) Organizational Process Focus (OPF) Organizational Process Performance (OPP)
Organizational Training (OT) Product Integration (PI) Project Monitoring and Control (PMC)
Project Planning (PP) Process and Product Quality Assurance (PPQA) Quantitative Project Management (QPM)
Requirements Development (RD) Requirements Management (REQM) Risk Management (RSKM)
Supplier Agreement Management (SAM) Technical Solution (TS) Validation (VAL)
. Verification (VER) .

About Software Quality Assurance .org

The intention of this site is to present a comprehensive view of CMMi for Software Development, from the perspective of Software Quality Assurance.
It is targeted at the SQA professional that wants to leverage the benefits of CMMi within a medium sized team (25 to 100 developers)

without paying for external consulting.

This site uses SQA.net as a definitive reference point for Software Quality terms. This single reference point is made so that a comprehensive understanding of the subject can be presented. In particular the following terms have precise meanings, that are relevant to a deeper understanding of SQA in CMMi:-

  • Software Quality Assurance
  • Software Quality Control (includes testing)
  • CMMi
  • Software Metrics

    What ties the above areas together is a desire to Produce the right software product at the lowest cost. Each of the subject areas makes a significant, but not exclusive, contribution to this goal. To be in a position to achieve this elusive goal (in Software production) each of the above subject areas has to be understood, as well as the interdependencies between them. Finally, the goal is realized by implementing CMMI.

    This is very much a Work In Progress and fresh annotations (and referenced articles\papers) will be regularly included.

    CMMI models describe what have been determined to be best practices that organizations have found to be productive and useful to achieving their business objectives.

    Regardless of your type of organization, to apply CMMI best practices, you must use professional judgment when interpreting them for your situation, needs, and business objectives. Although process areas depict the characteristics of an organization committed to process improvement, you must interpret the process areas using an in-depth knowledge of CMMI, your organization, the business environment, and the specific circumstances involved.

    As you begin using a CMMI model to improve your organization’s processes, map your real-world processes to CMMI process areas. This mapping enables you to initially judge and later track your organization’s level of conformance to the CMMI model you are using and to identify opportunities for improvement.

    To interpret practices, it is important to consider the overall context in which these practices are used and to determine how well the practices satisfy the goals of a process area in that context. CMMI models do not explicitly prescribe nor imply particular processes that are right for any organization or project. Instead, CMMI describes 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 and projects. The specific needs of a project may also differ at various points during its life.



  • Software-Quality-Assurance.org is an independent Web Site that presents information about CMMi and Software Quality Assurance. No guarantee (or claim) is made regarding the accuracy of this information. Any questions or comments should be sent to:-