A Guttman Scaling of CMM Level 2 Practices: Investigating the Implementation Sequences Underlying Software Engineering Maturity

Abstract

The Capability Maturity Model specifies several hundred key practices that must be implemented as a team moves from Level 1 to Level 5 of the model. However, the model does not specify within each level the optimal sequence in which to implement the practices. Level 2 contains 121 such practices grouped under six key process areas (KPAs) which are further subdivided into five common feature areas (CFAs). Although the KPA/CFA structure has a logical fit with the organizational structure of very large software development teams, it does not correspond to the reality of small teams. Using Level 2 audit data collected on 10 small software development teams, the authors try to determine whether the data itself can point to a more appropriate implementation strategy for small teams. The data is analyzed using Guttman scaling techniques (scalogram analysis). The results indicate that there is a single underlying, orderable dimension at Level 2 which lays out a step-by-step path upward from Level 1. The order of the items is found to map well to the familiar Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle widely used by project managers to organize and control work efforts. The extracted scale can be used as an assessment tool to provide management with a quick snapshot of a team's current position relative to Level 2.