Capability Maturity Model Integration

CMMI was originally developed by experts at the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) of the Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh PA, mainly sponsored through the Department of Defense, in 1986. Currently the SEI is the owner of CMMI and is responsible for the further development, as well as the certification processes (www.sei.cmu.edu/cmmi). As a classic "what"- model CMMI defines goals and practices, divided into catergories and process areas. These goals and practices must be covered by specific processes of the company. With the degree coverage the process areas and the organization as a whole are then rated and classified in five maturity levels. With the highest maturity levels being four and five, CMMI requires improvements based on collected data for process key performance indicators (KPI's) and statistical as well as quantitative methods. Currently, there are about 4,000 companies certified officially, most of them (2,700) on the Maturity Level 3. In Switzerland, there are 7 companies certified by CMMI standards. mimacom being the only Switzerland based company certified on maturity level 5.