Capabiity Level (CL) & Maturity Level (ML)

Capability Level (CL)

CMMI for Development V1.3 has defined four (Bascially 3) Capability Levels starting from CL-0:Incomplete, CL-1: Performed, CL-2:Managed, CL-3: Defined. CL-0 Indicates incompleteness of CL-1; that means process is not meeting all requirements as needed to achieve CL-1. CL-1 describes "what" should be done in respective process which is denoted by Specific Practices (SP). To understand better way of "what", lets take an example of Test Process. Test process should consists of at least following activities/tasks:

• Development of test specification / cases
• Review of  test specification / cases
• Conduct test
• Record result
• Conduct regression test / re-test (if needed)

Performing these activities / tasks will result in meeting requirement of "Performed", hence CL-1. CL-0 indicates that some of these activities are not performed. CL-2 asks for manaing these activities / tasks. Managing will be categorized in two categories. One - managing tasks & two - managing work products which are being produced in perfroming these tasks. CL-3 requires performing these activities across all projects in the similar way. In CL-2 these task can be performed in different way as decided by project manager where as in CL-3, process is performed in the similar way.

Maturity Level (ML)

 

CMMI for Development V1.3 has defined 06 (Basically 5) Maturity Levels starting from ML-1:Initial, ML-2: Managed, Ml-3: Defined, ML-4: Quntatively Managed & ML-5: Optimzing. ML-1 Indicates Initial that means processes are not being managed (ML-2). As indicate above, CL is defined for each & respective processes where as ML is defined for "pre-defined group of processes (process area)". In other words, CL-2 achieved for pre-defined group of process area equals to ML-2. Thus we can conclude followings:

ML-2 contains 7 PA; ML-3 contains 11 PA; ML-4 & ML-5 contains 2 PAs each. The achievement of ML-2 indicates that 7 PAs meets the requirement of CL-2, i.e., all activities / tasks related to 7 process (PA) which is defined by SPs and these activities / tasks are managed, also work products produced are managed. As ML addresses organization (organizaiton unit) and CL address particular process.

 

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