Starting a CMMI® journey couldn’t be simpler. First you need to establish your team’s current capabilities against the model. This is achieved using a baseline appraisal. This process will educate your team on the application of the model within your environment and help them articulate the strengths and weakness of your current process.
Taking the identified strengths and gaps from the appraisal gives you all the information needed to plan your way forward. The level of detail provided by a CMMI® appraisal really helps the planning process move from “broad brush” planning to a more appropriate level of granularity. It is essential to involve your major stakeholders as reviewers of your post appraisal planning to help build the necessary buy-in to support the finalisation of the plan and budget.