What is SEI? CMM? CMMI? ISO? IEEE? ANSI? Will it help?

• SEI = 'Software Engineering Institute' at Carnegie-Mellon University; initiated by the U.S. Defense Department to help improve software development processes.
• CMM = 'Capability Maturity Model', now called the CMMI ('Capability Maturity Model Integration'), developed by the SEI. It's a model of 5 levels of process 'maturity' that determine effectiveness in delivering quality software. It is geared to large organizations such as large U.S. Defense Department contractors. However, many of the QA processes involved are appropriate to any organization, and if reasonably applied can be helpful. Organizations can receive CMMI ratings by undergoing assessments by qualified auditors.

       Level 1 - characterized by chaos, periodic panics, and heroic
                efforts required by individuals to successfully
                complete projects.  Few if any processes in place;
                successes may not be repeatable.

      Level 2 - software project tracking, requirements management,
                realistic planning, and configuration management
                processes are in place; successful practices can
                be repeated.

      Level 3 - standard software development and maintenance processes
                are integrated throughout an organization; a Software
                Engineering Process Group is is in place to oversee
                software processes, and training programs are used to
                ensure understanding and compliance.

      Level 4 - metrics are used to track productivity, processes,
                and products.  Project performance is predictable,
                and quality is consistently high.

      Level 5 - the focus is on continouous process improvement. The
                impact of new processes and technologies can be
                predicted and effectively implemented when required.


     Perspective on CMM ratings:  During 1997-2001, 1018 organizations
     were assessed.  Of those, 27% were rated at Level 1, 39% at 2,
     23% at 3, 6% at 4, and  5% at 5.  (For ratings during the period
     1992-96, 62% were at Level 1, 23% at 2, 13% at 3, 2% at 4, and
     0.4% at 5.)  The median size of organizations was 100 software
     engineering/maintenance personnel; 32% of organizations were
     U.S. federal contractors or agencies.  For those rated at
     Level 1, the most problematical key process area was in
     Software Quality Assurance.

• ISO = 'International Organisation for Standardization' - The ISO 9001:2000 standard (which replaces the previous standard of 1994) concerns quality systems that are assessed by outside auditors, and it applies to many kinds of production and manufacturing organizations, not just software. It covers documentation, design, development, production, testing, installation, servicing, and other processes. The full set of standards consists of: (a)Q9001-2000 - Quality Management Systems: Requirements; (b)Q9000-2000 - Quality Management Systems: Fundamentals and Vocabulary; (c)Q9004-2000 - Quality Management Systems: Guidelines for Performance Improvements. To be ISO 9001 certified, a third-party auditor assesses an organization, and certification is typically good for about 3 years, after which a complete reassessment is required. Note that ISO certification does not necessarily indicate quality products - it indicates only that documented processes are followed. Also see http://www.iso.org/ for the latest information. In the U.S. the standards can be purchased via the ASQ web site at http://www.asq.org/quality-press/
  ISO 9126 defines six high level quality characteristics that can be used in software evaluation. It includes functionality, reliability, usability, efficiency, maintainability, and portability.
• IEEE = 'Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' - among other things, creates standards such as 'IEEE Standard for Software Test Documentation' (IEEE/ANSI Standard 829), 'IEEE Standard of Software Unit Testing (IEEE/ANSI Standard 1008), 'IEEE Standard for Software Quality Assurance Plans' (IEEE/ANSI Standard 730), and others.
• ANSI = 'American National Standards Institute', the primary industrial standards body in the U.S.; publishes some software-related standards in conjunction with the IEEE and ASQ (American Society for Quality).
• Other software development/IT management process assessment methods besides CMMI and ISO 9000 include SPICE, Trillium, TickIT, Bootstrap, ITIL, MOF, and CobiT.