Hello again, adamwest!
I am delighted to use the knowledge I gained researching your previous
question on SPICE to assist in answering this one.
The difference between SPICE and CMM is that SPICE is a SET OF
STANDARDS for evaluating software processes, and CMM is a MODEL for
evaluating an organization’s software processes.
The element of SPICE that corresponds to CMM is the "Software Process
Assessment Part 2: A Model for Process Management" (formerly known as
the "Baseline Practices Guide"), and it is merely one small part of
the SPICE Standards.
You can see how the "Software Process Assessment Part 2 (formerly
BPG)" fits into the SPICE Big Scheme of Things in Improve QPI’s
description of "The SPICE Approach":
"As an example, the SPICE approach is built around the following
components:
Process Assessment Methods:
which include a *** Baseline Practices Guide ***, assessment
instruments and methods of profiling, rating and scoring the
assessment results.
Guidance:
on how to use the results of an assessment to formulate viable and
worthwhile process improvements.
Guidance Models:
to assist an organisation to determine its own capability or that of
its suppliers.
Guides to Training and Qualification:
for the development of programmes to train assessors.
High-Level Guidelines:
to define goals and activities essential to software engineering
Generic Tools:
for obtaining assessment data from the software engineering processes,
and guidance for producing assessment tools for specific
organisations/sectors."
http://www.improveqpi.co.uk/services/spi.htm
A copy of Software Process Assessment Part 2 (formerly BPG) can be
found here:
http://www.info.uqam.ca/Labo_Recherche/Lrgl/sc7/N1401-N1450/07n1406.pdf
From the Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute (SEI) CMM
website:
"The Capability Maturity Model for Software (CMM or SW-CMM) is a model
for judging the maturity of the software processes of an organization
and for identifying the key practices that are required to increase
the maturity of these processes."
http://www.sei.cmu.edu/cmm/cmm.html
What they really mean when they say “maturity” is how far the
organization has developed the level of quality (degree of
defect-freeness) and efficiency (cost vs. benefit) of their processes.
According to the SEI, the CMM is organized into five maturity levels:
"1) Initial. The software process is characterized as ad hoc, and
occasionally even chaotic. Few processes are defined, and success
depends on individual effort and heroics.
2) Repeatable. Basic project management processes are established to
track cost, schedule, and functionality. The necessary process
discipline is in place to repeat earlier successes on projects with
similar applications.
3) Defined. The software process for both management and engineering
activities is documented, standardized, and integrated into a standard
software process for the organization. All projects use an approved,
tailored version of the organization's standard software process for
developing and maintaining software.
4) Managed. Detailed measures of the software process and product
quality are collected. Both the software process and products are
quantitatively understood and controlled.
5) Optimizing. Continuous process improvement is enabled by
quantitative feedback from the process and from piloting innovative
ideas and technologies."
http://www.sei.cmu.edu/cmm/cmm.sum.html
From Vilnius University’s Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics post
of SPICE’s "Software Process Assessment Part 2 (formerly BPG)":
"There are six capability levels in the reference model, incorporating
nine process attributes:
Level 0 - Incomplete
There is general failure to attain the purpose of the process...
Level 1 - Performed
The purpose of the process is generally achieved...
Level 2 - Managed
The process delivers work products of acceptable quality within
defined timescales...
Level 3 - Established
The process is performed and managed using a defined process based
upon good software engineering principles...
Level 4 - Predictable
The defined process is performed consistently in practice within
defined control limits, to achieve its goals...
Level 5 - Optimizing
Performance of the process is optimized to meet current and future
business needs, and the process achieves repeatability in meeting its
defined business goals..."
http://www.maf.vu.lt/~alga/spice2/part2v2.pdf
Similarities between SPICE’s BPG and CMM:
1) Both models define various levels of process evolution ranging from
a bare-bones beginning to a high level of well-defined, documented,
and tested processes;
2) Both models have the goal of assisting organizations to define
their processes, develop ways to document them, devise consistent
testing methods for them, and continuously improve them.
3) Both models are aimed at performing evaluation at a per-process (as
opposed to a system-wide) level.
A comparision of "CMM versus SPICE Architectures", by Mark C. Paulk,
Michael D. Konrad, and Suzanne M. Garcia is published here:
ftp://ftp.sei.cmu.edu/pub/cmm/Misc/SPICE.CMM.arch.pdf
(This is an Acrobat Reader pdf document; if you don’t already have it
installed on your computer, Reader can be downloaded at
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html )
Differences between SPICE’s BPG and CMM:
1) BPG provides for a "not performed at all" level, which can prove
necessary and useful; CMM does not provide for this possibility.
2) "One of the advantages of the BPG architecture is that it measures
the evolution of each process separately from other processes, which
allows a process improvement team to view its aspects independently of
other processes and provides greater granularity of measurement and
analysis."
"In contrast, the key process areas in the CMM are defined as residing
at a single maturity level. As processes mature they are described in
different key process areas at different levels."
3) "The BPG architecture does not prescribe any particular
organizational improvement path...
Capability levels measure a specific PROCESS."
"The [CMM] maturity levels prioritize general software problems...
Maturity levels measure the ORGANIZATION."
You can also see a good graphical representation of the overlap and
inter-relation of the BPG and the CMM on page 8 of this report.
Additional resources:
From the Software Quality Institute’s CMMI Report "Capability Maturity
Model Integration Mapping to ISO/IEC 15504-2:1998" by Terence P. Rout,
Angela Tuffley, and Brent Cahill (March 28, 2000)
"This report presents the results of an analysis of the compatibility
of the representations of the Capability Maturity Model Integration to
ISO/IEC 15504-2:1998 - Software Process Assessment - Part 2: A
Reference Model for Processes and Process Capability."
http://www.sqi.gu.edu.au/courses/cmmi/report/page1.html
http://www.sqi.gu.edu.au/courses/cmmi/report/docs/MappingReport.pdf
For an extremely in-depth comparison of the SPICE and CMM Models, in
addition to Bootstrap and ISO 9000-3, try the following book:
"Software Engineering Processes: Principles and Applications" by
Yingxu Wang (April 21, 2000) [$119.95 on Amazon.com, with free
shipping]
From the Amazon.com Review by Mike Tarrani, Tustin, CA (September 5,
2001):
"The models compared in the book are: ISO 15504 (SPICE; Software
Process Improvement Capability Determination), CMM (SEI's Capability
Maturity Model), Bootstrap (European Software Institute) and ISO
9000-3. What makes the book valuable is the methodical, quantitative
manner in which each of the models can be compared using a process
algebra against the author's software engineering reference model.
This allows organizations that are striving for software engineering
process improvement to make objective decisions regarding which of the
models addressed in this book is the best fit for their business
model, organizational culture and market."
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0849323665
Search Strategy
Software Process Improvement and Capability dEtermination
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=Software+Process+Improvement+and+Capability+dEtermination&btnG=Google+Search
Capability Maturity Model
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=Capability+Maturity+Model&btnG=Google+Search
"CMM versus SPICE"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22CMM+versus+SPICE%22&btnG=Google+Search
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I hope this Answer provides you with exactly the information you
needed!
Regards,
aceresearcher |
