Which model to be selected – CMMI-DEV or CMMI-SVC ? If an organization predominantly provides services like IT Service Management, Staff-augmentation etc., and also carries out Software Development activity in bits and pieces – which model it should select, CMMI-SVC or CMMI-DEV..?

CMMI FAQ 0

13th July, 2014

The business activity of some organizations is more amenable to CMMI-SVC model. For example, their dominant services may include – Providing IT Services, Providing Staff-augmentation services, etc. But such organizations may also provide software development services, maybe in a smaller measure, and software-development services may include Providing Design, Development, Maintenance and Implementation of Software Solutions”.

In this situation, the organization should select the CMMI-SVC model and the CMMI-DEV implementation coverage should be placed as a subset under the CMMI-SVC umbrella. This means that the Process Asset Library (PAL) will have both the platforms of processes – SVC and DEV. The Scope of CMMI implementation could be providing IT Services, Providing Staff-augmentation services, etc., and providing Design, Development, Maintenance and Implementation of Software Solutions.

Some comments are given in the CMMI-SVC Model document itself. They read like this: CMMI-SVC is based on the CMMI Model Foundation or CMF (i.e., model components common to all CMMI models and constellations) and incorporates work by service organizations to adapt CMMI for use in the service industry. CMMI-SVC and CMMI-DEV, both originating from CMMI common framework and having 16 process areas in common, can be treated as references for each other and can be used alternatively for development of service system which could be a software (solution) service system also. In cases in which the service system is large and complex, the CMMI-DEV model can be effectively used to develop such a system. However, the CMMI-SVC model provides an alternative, streamlined approach to evaluating and improving the development of service systems that can be more appropriate in certain contexts.

Organizations which are providing services (example, IT Services Management, Staff-Augmentation services, Project Management Services or Management Consulting Services, etc.) and also provide in addition software development services are more conducive to using CMMI-SVC because in this way they cover their entire organization. Such organizations can use CMMI-DEV in the area of software development.