CMMI Interview Questions And Answers

There are many ways to get help with CMMI models. You can work with a consultant from a Partner organization. That consultant can guide you in creating a process improvement program, selecting a model, determining when to have an appraisal and more. The CMMI Institute and its partners offer CMMI-related training and appraisal services. You can find a Partner organization that offers CMMI services near you.

An extensive CMMI user community is active on the web. Join in on the community discussion and get help from other users.

Partners are qualified organizations that are licensed by the CMMI Institute to help other organizations and individuals to adopt new and improved technologies. For CMMI, partners offer consulting, appraisal, and training services.

Unless you are trying to get a level to qualify for a contract that specifies what they require, the choice is entirely up to you. There are a few issues that may influence your decision.

First, when you “get a level” you are in reality conducting a CMMI appraisal (called a SCAMPI A appraisal). Such an appraisal requires selecting a CMMI model and the scope of the organization to be appraised. In addition, you must determine what results you want from the appraisal.

Capability levels apply to your organization’s process improvement achievement in individual process areas. The four capability levels are numbered 0 through 3. For example, your appraisal results may show that the part of the organization you appraised is capability level 3 for Configuration Management, but capability level 2 for Decision Analysis and Resolution.

Maturity levels apply to your organization’s process improvement achievement in multiple process areas. These levels are a means of improving the processes corresponding to a given set of process areas (i.e., maturity level). The five maturity levels are numbered 1 through 5. The maturity level applies to the scope of the organization that was appraised (e.g., three projects, a department, a division)

Many factors are involved in establishing a process improvement program, including the readiness of the organization, the existence of effective processes and infrastructure to support a program, and the skills and knowledge of the organization’s people.

Find Partners that are geographically close to you and offer the products you are looking for. Interview each to evaluate how well their experience is compatible with your organization’s needs.

Many Partner organizations have tools that they use. The CMMI Institute doesn’t promote or endorse any of these tools. Our advice is simply to evaluate the tools in terms of how they fit with your organization’s needs and infrastructure.

The Staged Representation is one of the approaches used in Software CMM. This approach utilizes the predefined sets of process areas for defining an improvement path for an enterprise and the improvement path is described by a model component called a Maturity Level.

CMMI Staged Representation provides a proven sequence of improvements, each of which serves as a foundation for the next. The comparisons across enterprises by using the maturity levels are permitted. The staged representation provides migration from SW-CMM to CMMI. It provides a rating system which summarizes the results of appraisal. The Staged Representation provides a well pre-defined roadmap the improvement of organizations which are based on proven grouping and ordering of processes.

Level0 N/A: All processes do not fulfill Level1 practices and standards.

Level1 Initial: Processes are ad-hoc and chaotic. Success of organization is based on individuals and not standard processes.

Level2 Managed: An organization has achieved all specific and generic goals of level2 process areas. It has been proven that requirements are managed and that processes are controlled, planned and monitored.

Level3 Defined: An organization has fulfilled all specific processes and goals of level2 and 3. All processes are well managed, ordered and understood. They are described using tools, standards, methods and procedures.

Level4 Quantitatively managed: Organization has achieved all specific goals and procedures of level 2, 3 and 4 and also generic goals of level 2 and 3. Standard and performance enhancing sub processes are selected and monitored and controlled using statistical and quantitative methods.

Level5 Optimizing: Organization has achieved specific goals and practices of levels 2, 3, 4 and 5 and also generic goals of levels 2 and 3. Focus is on continuously improving processes using incremental and innovative methods.

The following are the different process areas in CMMI:

1. Initial Process: This process involves in software configuration management, software quality assurance, software subcontract management, software project tracking and oversight, software project planning and requirements management.

2. Defined Process: This process involves in peer reviews, intergroup coordination, software product engineering, integrated software management, training program, organization process definition, organization process focus.

3. Managed Process: This process involves in software quality management, quantitative process management

4. Optimizing Process: Process change management, technology change management, and defect prevention

Project Management Concepts: This consists of Project planning, Project monitoring and control, Risk Management, Process and product quality assurance, Configuration management, Supplier agreement management, Integrated supplier management, Measurement analysis,

Engineering Concepts: This includes Requirements development, Technical solution, Requirements management, Product integration, Verification, Validation, Decision analysis and resolution.

Process Management concepts: This includes Organizational process definition, Integrate project management.

Integrated teaming concepts: This includes integrated project management, Organizational environment for integration, and integrated teaming.

Quantitative management concepts: This includes Quantitative project and process management.

Optimizing concepts: This includes Causal analysis and resolution, Organizational innovation and deployment.

Capability levels are relevant to organization’s process improvement in specific areas. Capability levels in Continuous representations:

Level0 Incomplete: It depicts an incomplete process which does not implement all Capability level1 processes and practices.

Level1 Performed: Process that implements all Capability level1 processes and practices. Some work can be done even though major objectives such as performance are not achieved.

Level2 Managed: They are processes which are planned, managed, performed, monitored, and controlled for specific projects to achieve specific goals.

Level3 Defined: It’s a customized set of standard and managed process for an organization. The processes are tailored a bit as per the organization’s benefit.

Level4 Quantitatively managed: It is a defined process that is managed and controlled using statistical and quantitative methods.

Level5 Optimizing: It’s a quantitatively managed and improved process which is based upon common roots and causes of process variation. Focus is on improving performance of the process using incremental and innovative methods.

PII is acronym for Practice Implementation Indicators. They are pieces of evidence that a particular CMMI practice will leave evidence that it has been performed. It could be a document, a spreadsheet, or any artifact. The appraiser looks for PII for assessment. There are 3 types of PII:

Direct artifacts: tangible outputs resulting from implementation of a process or practice.

Indirect artifacts: Artifacts that are results of performing a specific practice that substantiate its implementation.

Affirmations: Oral or written statements of a specific practice. They are often provided by the implementers of the practice or other stakeholders.

Direct artifacts: tangible outputs resulting from implementation of a process or practice.

Affirmations: Oral or written statements of a specific practice. They are often provided by the implementers of the practice or other stakeholders.

Indirect artifacts: Artifacts that are results of performing a specific practice that substantiate its implementation.