CMMI: A Comprehensive Introduction

Frequently Asked Questions

What is this course about? This engaging course provides a comprehensive overview of the CMMI components and gap analysis activities through an SEI-approved tool used for conducting appraisals or audits. When any organization implements a process improvement initiative, it is vital to know your current state and your desired state in order to focus on quality and productivity. The CMMI process improvement planning activities presented in this course are a framework to help you monitor your progress as you achieve your goals. Extensive activities immerse you in an authentic environment where you gain the knowledge and skills to apply CMMI principles and practices to meet the demands of the customer. What background do I need? There is no specific background needed for this course. Who will benefit from this course? Product and project managers, engineers, quality assurance professionals, configuration and business analysts, those involved in the implementation and maintenance of CMMI, and anyone who has an interest in process improvements. What is CMMI? The Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) is a best practice framework used to improve and maintain the necessary processes to support quality development. Created by the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh in the late-1980s, it is widely used to conduct process improvement across a project, a division, or an organization. Originally designed for software development processes, CMMI has expanded greatly to cover subject areas as diverse as systems engineering, risk management, IT services, project management, personnel management, among others. It is widely used to assess organizations against a scale of five process Maturity Levels, where each Level ranks an organization by its compliance of processes in the area being evaluated. Achieving a CMMI Maturity Level recognition can be of great benefit to an organization. How is this course structured? This course is structured around a dynamic style of learning created by Learning Tree called RealityPlusTM-an immersive experience that engages you in authentic tasks within a simulated real-world context. Through media-rich case studies, role playing, and video/computer-based activities, you are immersed throughout the course in an evolving scenario where the decisions you make affect the outcome of the simulation. The RealityPlus learning method is presented in a safe environment where you gain new skills and practice the most effective techniques to bring back to your job. At the end of the course, you are prepared to immediately and successfully apply these new skills within you organization. I work for a small/medium/large organization. Is the CMMI something I should implement? Yes! The best practices of the CMMI are applicable to organizations of any size. The CMMI integrates organizational functions that were traditionally separated, sets process improvement goals and priorities, provides guidance on quality processes, and offers a point of reference for the appraisal of current processes. The model can be used to evaluate the state of everything from individual projects to global organizational procedures. Does this course cover the appraisal process? Absolutely! A substantial portion of this course covers the appraisal process. You learn the importance of appraisals, choosing an appraisal team, and determining outputs and constraints. Preparing for and conducting a gap analysis is thoroughly covered. Finally, you explore the details of analyzing the results by leveraging the proper tools, and then interpreting those results to draw conclusions and achieve a consensus. How much time is spent on each topic? Content Hours The importance of process improvement 1.0 Identifying the business drivers 1.0 Generic goals and practices 3.0 Specific goals and practices 4.0 CMMI components and structure 1.5 Process areas and gap analysis 7.0 CMMI process improvement schedule 2.0 Times, including the workshops, are estimates; exact times may vary according to the needs of each class. What kinds of activities does this course include? This course is built around a series of authentic scenarios where you gain valuable experience planning for and implementing CMMI. The skills learned through these activities are immediately transferable back at your job. Activities include: Performing key CMMI tasks Generating a concise CMMI implementation statement that expresses a business need Choosing the appropriate CMMI representation to achieve desired results Gathering evidence on specific practices by analyzing documentation Deploying software tools to present findings that link to evidence Producing an effective summary report and implementation schedule Is this course applicable to a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification? Yes. Although this course is not designed as preparation for the exam, it is beneficial to anyone working toward PMI's PMP certification. For those who are currently certified, completion of this course counts as 17 professional development units (60 units must be completed every three years to maintain certification). For more details, please see the Learning Tree PMI Registered Education Provider Q&A. If you are an experienced project manager intending to take the PMP exam, you should take Course 276, Preparing for the Project Management Professional (PMP®) Exam. In this course you learn essential PMBOK® Guide terminology, tools and techniques. You gain practical test-taking experience through PMI-style practice exams and create your own personal study plan for continued use after the course. How does this course relate to other Learning Tree courses? This course is part of the Software Engineering curriculum and is a solid lead in to the following courses: 340, Project Management for Software Development  312, Software Quality Assurance: Delivering Consistent Quality  322, Systems Analysis and Design: A Comprehensive Hands-On Introduction  323, Object-Oriented Analysis and Design Using UML: Hands-On  342, Software Change, Configuration and Release Management  316, Software Testing Foundation: A Comprehensive Hands-On Introduction  315, Developing User Requirements: The Key to Project Success  218, User and System Requirements for Successful Software Development  909, Management Skills for Experienced Managers

RealityPlus is a trademark of Learning Tree International. CMMI is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by Carnegie Mellon University.