capable process

causal analysis

The analysis of defects to determine their cause.

change management

Judicious use of means to effect a change, or a proposed change, on a product or service.

CMMI Framework

The basic structure that organizes CMMI components, including common elements of the current CMMI models as well as rules and methods for generating models, appraisal methods (including associated artifacts), and training materials. The framework enables new disciplines to be added to CMMI so that the new disciplines will integrate with the existing ones.

CMMI model

One from the entire collection of possible models that can be generated from the CMMI Framework. Since the CMMI Framework can generate different models based on the needs of the organization using it, there are multiple CMMI models.

CMMI model component

Any of the main architectural elements that compose a CMMI model. Some of the main elements of a CMMI model include specific practices, generic practices, specific goals, generic goals, process areas, capability levels, and maturity levels.

CMMI Product Suite

The complete set of products developed around the CMMI concept. These products include the framework itself, models, appraisal methods, appraisal materials, and various types of training.

common cause of process variation

The variation of a process that exists because of normal and expected interactions among the components of a process.

concept of operations

(See "operational concept.")

configuration audit

An audit conducted to verify that a configuration item, or a collection of configuration items that make up a baseline, conforms to a specified standard or requirement.

configuration baseline

The configuration information formally designated at a specific time during a product's or product component's life. Configuration baselines, plus approved changes from those baselines, constitute the current configuration information.

configuration control

An element of configuration management consisting of the evaluation, coordination, approval or disapproval, and implementation of changes to configuration items after formal establishment of their configuration identification.

configuration control board

A group of people responsible for evaluating and approving or disapproving proposed changes to configuration items, and for ensuring implementation of approved changes.
Configuration control boards are also known as change control boards.

configuration identification

An element of configuration management consisting of selecting the configuration items for a product, assigning unique identifiers to them, and recording their functional and physical characteristics in technical documentation.

configuration item

An aggregation of work products that is designated for configuration management and treated as a single entity in the configuration management process.

configuration management

A discipline applying technical and administrative direction and surveillance to (1) identify and document the functional and physical characteristics of a configuration item, (2) control changes to those characteristics, (3) record and report change processing and implementation status, and (4) verify compliance with specified requirements.

configuration status accounting

An element of configuration management consisting of the recording and reporting of information needed to manage a configuration effectively. This information includes a listing of the approved configuration identification, the status of proposed changes to the configuration, and the implementation status of approved changes.

continuous representation

A capability maturity model structure wherein capability levels provide a recommended order for approaching process improvement within each specified process area.

contractor

(See "supplier.")

corrective action

Acts or deeds used to remedy a situation, remove an error, or adjust a condition.

COTS

Items that can be purchased from a commercial vendor. (COTS stands for commercial off the shelf.)

customer

"The party (individual, project, or organization) responsible for accepting the product or for authorizing payment. The customer is external to the project (except possibly when integrated teams are used, as in IPPD), but not necessarily external to the organization. The customer may be a higher level project. Customers are a subset of stakeholders.In most cases where this term is used, the preceding definition is intended; however, in some contexts, the term "customer" is intended to include other relevant stakeholders.

customer requirement

The result of eliciting, consolidating, and resolving conflicts among the needs, expectations, constraints, and interfaces of the product's relevant stakeholders in a way that is acceptable to the customer.

data

Recorded information, regardless of the form or method of recording, including technical data, computer software documents, financial information, management information, representation of facts, numbers, or datum of any nature that can be communicated, stored, and processed.

data management

The disciplined processes and systems that plan for, acquire, and provide stewardship for business and technical data, consistent with data requirements, throughout the data lifecycle.

defect density

Number of defects per unit of product size (e.g., problem reports per thousand lines of code).

defined process

"A managed process that is tailored from the organization's set of standard processes according to the organization's tailoring guidelines; has a maintained process description; and contributes work products, measures, and other process improvement information to the organizational process assets.

derived measures

Data resulting from the mathematical function of two or more base measures.

derived requirements

Requirements that are not explicitly stated in the customer requirements, but are inferred (1) from contextual requirements (e.g., applicable standards, laws, policies, common practices, and management decisions), or (2) from requirements needed to specify a product component. Derived requirements can also arise during analysis and design of components of the product or system.

design review

A formal, documented, comprehensive, and systematic examination of a design to evaluate the design requirements and the capability of the design to meet these requirements, and to identify problems and propose solutions.

development

In the CMMI Product Suite, not only development activities but also maintenance activities may be included. Projects that benefit from the best practices of CMMI can focus on development, maintenance, or both.

developmental plan

A plan for guiding, implementing, and controlling the design and development of one or more products.

discipline

In the CMMI Product Suite, the bodies of knowledge available to you when selecting a CMMI model (e.g., systems engineering). The CMMI Product Team envisions that other bodies of knowledge will be integrated into the CMMI Framework in the future.

document

A collection of data, regardless of the medium on which it is recorded, that generally has permanence and can be read by humans or machines. So, documents include both paper and electronic documents.

enterprise

The full composition of companies. Companies may consist of many organizations in many locations with different customers.

entry criteria

States of being that must be present before an effort can begin successfully.

equivalent staging

A target staging, created using the continuous representation, which is defined so that the results of using the target staging can be compared to the maturity levels of the staged representation.
Such staging permits benchmarking of progress among organizations, enterprises, and projects, regardless of the CMMI representation used. The organization may implement components of CMMI models beyond those reported as part of equivalent staging. Equivalent staging is only a measure to relate how the organization is compared to other organizations in terms of maturity levels.

establish and maintain

"In the CMMI Product Suite, you will encounter goals and practices that include the phrase "establish and maintain." This phrase means more than a combination of its component terms; it includes documentation and usage. For example, "Establish and maintain an organizational policy for planning and performing the organizational process focus process" means that not only must a policy be formulated, but it also must be documented, and it must be used throughout the organization."

evidence

(See "objective evidence.")

executive

(See "senior manager.")

exit criteria

States of being that must be present before an effort can end successfully.

expected CMMI components

CMMI components that explain what may be done to satisfy a required CMMI component. Model users can implement the expected components explicitly or implement equivalent alternative practices to these components. Specific and generic practices are expected model components.

finding

(See "appraisal findings.")

formal evaluation process

A structured approach to evaluating alternative solutions against established criteria to determine a recommended solution to address an issue.

framework

(See "CMMI Framework.")

functional analysis

"Examination of a defined function to identify all the subfunctions necessary to the accomplishment of that function; identification of functional relationships and interfaces (internal and external) and capturing these in a functional architecture; and flow down of upper level performance requirements and assignment of these requirements to lower level subfunctions.

functional architecture

The hierarchical arrangement of functions, their internal and external (external to the aggregation itself) functional interfaces and external physical interfaces, their respective functional and performance requirements, and their design constraints.

functional configuration audit

An audit conducted to verify that the development of a configuration item has been completed satisfactorily, that the item has achieved the performance and functional characteristics specified in the functional or allocated configuration identification, and that its operational and support documents are complete and satisfactory.

generic goal

A required model component that describes the characteristics that must be present to institutionalize the processes that implement a process area.

generic practice

An expected model component that is considered important in achieving the associated generic goal. The generic practices associated with a generic goal describe the activities that are expected to result in achievement of the generic goal and contribute to the institutionalization of the processes associated with a process area.

generic practice elaboration

An informative model component that appears after a generic practice to provide guidance on how the generic practice should be applied to the process area.

goal

A required CMMI component that can be either a generic goal or a specific goal. When you see the word goal in a CMMI model, it always refers to a model component (e.g., generic goal and specific goal).

hardware engineering

The application of a systematic, disciplined, and quantifiable approach to transform a set of requirements representing the collection of stakeholder needs, expectations, and constraints using documented techniques and technology to design, implement, and maintain a tangible product.
In CMMI, hardware engineering represents all technical fields (e.g., electrical or mechanical) that transform requirements and ideas into tangible and producible products.

higher level management

The person or persons who provide the policy and overall guidance for the process, but do not provide the direct day-to-day monitoring and controlling of the process. Such persons belong to a level of management in the organization above the immediate level responsible for the process and can be (but are not necessarily) senior managers.

incomplete process

A process that is not performed or is performed only partially (also known as capability level 0). One or more of the specific goals of the process area are not satisfied.

informative CMMI components

CMMI components that help model users understand the required and expected components of a model. These components can contain examples, detailed explanations, or other helpful information. Subpractices, notes, references, goal titles, practice titles, sources, typical work products, amplifications, and generic practice elaborations are informative model components.

institutionalization

The ingrained way of doing business that an organization follows routinely as part of its corporate culture.

integrated product and process development

A systematic approach to product development that achieves a timely collaboration of relevant stakeholders throughout the product lifecycle to better satisfy customer needs.

integrated team

A group of people with complementary skills and expertise who are committed to delivering specified work products in timely collaboration. Integrated team members provide skills and advocacy appropriate to all phases of the work products' life and are collectively responsible for delivering the work products as specified. An integrated team should include empowered representatives from organizations, disciplines, and functions that have a stake in the success of the work products.

interface control

In configuration management, the process of (1) identifying all functional and physical characteristics relevant to the interfacing of two or more configuration items provided by one or more organizations, and (2) ensuring that the proposed changes to these characteristics are evaluated and approved prior to implementation.

lifecycle model

A partitioning of the life of a product or project into phases.

managed process

"A performed process that is planned and executed in accordance with policy; employs skilled people having adequate resources to produce controlled outputs; involves relevant stakeholders; is monitored, controlled, and reviewed; and is evaluated for adherence to its process description.

manager

In the CMMI Product Suite, a person who provides technical and administrative direction and control to those performing tasks or activities within the manager's area of responsibility. The traditional functions of a manager include planning, organizing, directing, and controlling work within an area of responsibility.

maturity level

Degree of process improvement across a predefined set of process areas in which all goals in the set are attained.

memorandum of agreement

Binding documents of understanding or agreements between two or more parties. Also known as a "memorandum of understanding."

natural bounds

The inherent process reflected by measures of process performance, sometimes referred to as "voice of the process." Techniques such as control charts, confidence intervals, and prediction intervals are used to determine whether the variation is due to common causes (i.e., the process is predictable or "stable") or is due to some special cause that can and should be identified and removed.

nondevelopmental item (NDI)

An item of supply that was developed prior to its current use in an acquisition or development process. Such an item may require minor modifications to meet the requirements of its current intended use.

nontechnical requirements

Contractual provisions, commitments, conditions, and terms that affect how products or services are to be acquired. Examples include products to be delivered, data rights for delivered commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) nondevelopmental items (NDIs), delivery dates, and milestones with exit criteria. Other nontechnical requirements include training requirements, site requirements, and deployment schedules.

objective

When used as a noun in the CMMI Product Suite, the term objective replaces the word goal as used in its common everyday sense since the word goal is reserved for use when referring to the CMMI model components called specific goals and generic goals.

objective evidence

As used in CMMI appraisal materials, documents or interview results used as indicators of the implementation or institutionalization of model practices. Sources of objective evidence can include instruments, presentations, documents, and interviews.

objectively evaluate

To review activities and work products against criteria which minimize subjectivity and bias by the reviewer. An example of an objective evaluation is an audit against requirements, standards, or procedures by an independent quality assurance function.

observation

As used in CMMI appraisal materials, a written record that represents the appraisal team members' understanding of information either seen or heard during the appraisal data collection activities. The written record may take the form of a statement or may take alternative forms as long as the information content is preserved.

operational concept

A general description of the way in which an entity is used or operates.

operational scenario

A description of an imagined sequence of events that includes the interaction of the product with its environment and users, as well as interaction among its product components. Operational scenarios are used to evaluate the requirements and design of the system and to verify and validate the system.

optimizing process

A quantitatively managed process that is improved based on an understanding of the common causes of variation inherent in the process. The focus of an optimizing process is on continually improving the range of process performance through both incremental and innovative improvements.

organization

An administrative structure in which people collectively manage one or more projects as a whole, and whose projects share a senior manager and operate under the same policies. However, the word organization as used throughout CMMI models can also apply to one person who performs a function in a small organization that might be performed by a group of people in a large organization.

organizational maturity

The extent to which an organization has explicitly and consistently deployed processes that are documented, managed, measured, controlled, and continually improved. Organizational maturity may be measured via appraisals.

organizational policy

A guiding principle typically established by senior management that is adopted by an organization to influence and determine decisions.

organizational process assets

Artifacts that relate to describing, implementing, and improving processes (e.g., policies, measurements, process descriptions, and process implementation support tools). The term process assets is used to indicate that these artifacts are developed or acquired to meet the business objectives of the organization, and they represent investments by the organization that are expected to provide current and future business value.

organizational unit

The part of an organization that is the subject of an appraisal. An organizational unit deploys one or more processes that have a coherent process context and operates within a coherent set of business objectives. An organizational unit is typically part of a larger organization, although in a small organization, the organizational unit may be the whole organization.

organization's business objectives

Senior management developed strategies designed to ensure an organization's continued existence and enhance its profitability, market share, and other factors influencing the organization's success.
Such objectives may include reducing the number of change requests during a system's integration phase, reducing development cycle time, increasing the number of errors found in a product's first or second phase of development, and reducing the number of customer-reported defects, when applied to systems engineering activities.

organization's measurement repository

A repository used to collect and make available measurement data on processes and work products, particularly as they relate to the organization's set of standard processes. This repository contains or references actual measurement data and related information needed to understand and analyze the measurement data.

organization's process asset library

A library of information used to store and make available process assets that are useful to those who are defining, implementing, and managing processes in the organization. This library contains process assets that include process-related documentation such as policies, defined processes, checklists, lessons-learned documents, templates, standards, procedures, plans, and training materials.

organization's set of standard processes

A collection of definitions of the processes that guide activities in an organization. These process descriptions cover the fundamental process elements (and their relationships to each other, such as ordering and interfaces) that must be incorporated into the defined processes that are implemented in projects across the organization. A standard process enables consistent development and maintenance activities across the organization and is essential for long-term stability and improvement. (See also "defined process" and "process element.")

outsourcing

(See "acquisition.")

peer review

The review of work products performed by peers during development of the work products to identify defects for removal. The term peer review is used in the CMMI Product Suite instead of the term work product inspection.

performance parameters

The measures of effectiveness and other key measures used to guide and control progressive development.

performed process

A process that accomplishes the needed work to produce work products. The specific goals of the process area are satisfied.

physical configuration audit

An audit conducted to verify that a configuration item, as built, conforms to the technical documentation that defines and describes it.

planned process

A process that is documented by both a description and a plan. The description and plan should be coordinated, and the plan should include standards, requirements, objectives, resources, assignments, and so on.

policy

See organizational Policy

process

In the CMMI Product Suite, activities that can be recognized as implementations of practices in a CMMI model. These activities can be mapped to one or more practices in CMMI process areas to allow a model to be useful for process improvement and process appraisal.
There is a special use of the phrase "the process" in the statements and descriptions of the generic goals and generic practices. "The process," as used in Part Two, is the process or processes that implement the process area.

process action plan

A plan, usually resulting from appraisals, that documents how specific improvements targeting the weaknesses uncovered by an appraisal will be implemented.

process action team

A team that has the responsibility to develop and implement process improvement activities for an organization as documented in a process action plan.

process and technology improvements

Incremental and innovative improvements to processes and to process or product technologies.

process architecture

The ordering, interfaces, interdependencies, and other relationships among the process elements in a standard process. Process architecture also describes the interfaces, interdependencies, and other relationships between process elements and external processes (e.g., contract management).

process area

A cluster of related practices in an area that, when implemented collectively, satisfy a set of goals considered important for making improvement in that area. All CMMI process areas are common to both continuous and staged representations.

process asset

Anything that the organization considers useful in attaining the goals of a process area.

process asset library

A collection of process asset holdings that can be used by an organization or project.

process attribute

A measurable characteristic of process capability applicable to any process.

process capability

The range of expected results that can be achieved by following a process.

process definition

The act of defining and describing a process. The result of a process definition is a process description.

process description

A documented expression of a set of activities performed to achieve a given purpose.A process description provides an operational definition of the major components of a process. The description specifies, in a complete, precise, and verifiable manner, the requirements, design, behavior, or other characteristics of a process. It also may include procedures for determining whether these provisions have been satisfied. Process descriptions can be found at the activity, project, or organizational level.

process element

"The fundamental unit of a process. A process can be defined in terms of subprocesses or process elements. A subprocess can be further decomposed into subprocesses or process elements; a process element cannot. (See also "process" and "subprocess.")Each process element covers a closely related set of activities (e.g., estimating element and peer review element). Process elements can be portrayed using templates to be completed, abstractions to be refined, or descriptions to be modified or used. A process element can be an activity or task."

process description

A documented expression of a set of activities performed to achieve a given purpose.
A process description provides an operational definition of the major components of a process. The description specifies, in a complete, precise, and verifiable manner, the requirements, design, behavior, or other characteristics of a process. It also may include procedures for determining whether these provisions have been satisfied. Process descriptions can be found at the activity, project, or organizational level

process element

"The fundamental unit of a process. A process can be defined in terms of subprocesses or process elements. A subprocess can be further decomposed into subprocesses or process elements; a process element cannot. (See also "process" and "subprocess.")Each process element covers a closely related set of activities (e.g., estimating element and peer review element). Process elements can be portrayed using templates to be completed, abstractions to be refined, or descriptions to be modified or used. A process element can be an activity or task."

process group

A collection of specialists who facilitate the definition, maintenance, and improvement of the processes used by the organization.

process improvement

A program of activities designed to improve the performance and maturity of the organization's processes and the results of such a program.

process improvement objectives

A set of target characteristics established to guide the effort to improve an existing process in a specific, measurable way either in terms of resultant product characteristics (e.g., quality, performance, and conformance to standards) or in the way in which the process is executed (e.g., elimination of redundant process steps, combination of process steps, and improvement of cycle time). (See also "organization's business objectives" and "quantitative objective.")

process improvement plan

A plan for achieving organizational process improvement objectives based on a thorough understanding of the current strengths and weaknesses of the organization's processes and process assets.

process measurement

The set of definitions, methods, and activities used to take measurements of a process and its resulting products for the purpose of characterizing and understanding the process.

process owner

"The person (or team) responsible for defining and maintaining a process. At the organizational level, the process owner is the person (or team) responsible for the description of a standard process; at the project level, the process owner is the person (or team) responsible for the description of the defined process. A process may therefore have multiple owners at different levels of responsibility.

process performance

A measure of actual results achieved by following a process. It is characterized by both process measures (e.g., effort, cycle time, and defect removal efficiency) and product measures (e.g., reliability, defect density, and response time).

process-performance baseline

A documented characterization of the actual results achieved by following a process, which is used as a benchmark for comparing actual process performance against expected process performance.

process-performance model

A description of the relationships among attributes of a process and its work products that is developed from historical process-performance data and calibrated using collected process and product measures from the project and that is used to predict results to be achieved by following a process.

process tailoring

Making, altering, or adapting a process description for a particular end. For example, a project tailors its defined process from the organization's set of standard processes to meet the objectives, constraints, and environment of the project.

product

In the CMMI Product Suite, a work product that is intended for delivery to a customer or end user. The form of a product can vary in different contexts.

product baseline

In configuration management, the initial approved technical data package (including, for software, the source code listing) defining a configuration item during the production, operation, maintenance, and logistic support of its lifecycle. (See also "configuration item" and "configuration management.")

product component

In the CMMI Product Suite, a work product that is a lower level component of the product. Product components are integrated to produce the product. There may be multiple levels of product components.

product component requirements

A complete specification of a product component, including fit, form, function, performance, and any other requirement.

product lifecycle

The period of time, consisting of phases, which begins when a product is conceived and ends when the product is no longer available for use. Since an organization may be producing multiple products for multiple customers, one description of a product lifecycle may not be adequate. Therefore, the organization may define a set of approved product lifecycle models. These models are typically found in published literature and are likely to be tailored for use in an organization.A product lifecycle could consist of the following phases:
(1) concept/vision,
(2) feasibility,
(3) design/development,
(4) production, and
(5) phase out.

product line

A group of products sharing a common, managed set of features that satisfy specific needs of a selected market or mission.

product-related lifecycle processes

Processes associated with a product throughout one or more phases of its life (e.g., from conception through disposal), such as the manufacturing and support processes.

product requirements

A refinement of the customer requirements into the developers' language, making implicit requirements into explicit derived requirements.
The developer uses the product requirements to guide the design and building of the product.

product suite

(See "CMMI Product Suite.")

profile

See "achievement profile" and "target profile.")

program

(1) A project.
(2) A collection of related projects and the infrastructure that supports them, including objectives, methods, activities, plans, and success measures.

project

In the CMMI Product Suite, a managed set of interrelated resources which delivers one or more products to a customer or end user. A project has a definite beginning (i.e., project startup) and typically operates according to a plan. Such a plan is frequently documented and specifies what is to be delivered or implemented, the resources and funds to be used, the work to be done, and a schedule for doing the work. A project can be composed of projects.

project manager

In the CMMI Product Suite, the person responsible for planning, directing, controlling, structuring, and motivating the project. The project manager is responsible for satisfying the customer.

project plan

"A plan that provides the basis for performing and controlling the project's activities, which addresses the commitments to the project's customer.
Project planning includes estimating the attributes of the work products and tasks, determining the resources needed, negotiating commitments, producing a schedule, and identifying and analyzing project risks. Iterating through these activities may be necessary to establish the project plan."

project progress and performance

What a project achieves with respect to implementing project plans, including effort, cost, schedule, and technical performance.

project startup

When a set of interrelated resources are directed to develop or deliver one or more products for a customer or end user.

project's defined process

The integrated and defined process that is tailored from the organization's set of standard processes.

prototype

A preliminary type, form, or instance of a product or product component that serves as a model for later stages or for the final, complete version of the product. This model (e.g., physical, electronic, digital, and analytical) can be used for the following (and other) purposes:
- Assessing the feasibility of a new or unfamiliar technology
- Assessing or mitigating technical risk
- Validating requirements
- Demonstrating critical features
- Qualifying a product
- Qualifying a process
- Characterizing performance or product features
- Elucidating physical principles

quality

The ability of a set of inherent characteristics of a product, product component, or process to fulfill requirements of customers.

quality and process-performance objectives

"Objectives and requirements for product quality, service quality, and process performance. Process-performance objectives include quality; however, to emphasize the importance of quality in the CMMI Product Suite, the phrase quality and process-performance objectives is used rather than just process-performance objectives."

quality assurance

A planned and systematic means for assuring management that the defined standards, practices, procedures, and methods of the process are applied.

quality control

The operational techniques and activities that are used to fulfill requirements for quality.

quantitative objective

Desired target value expressed as quantitative measures.

quantitatively managed process

A defined process that is controlled using statistical and other quantitative techniques. The product quality, service quality, and process-performance attributes are measurable and controlled throughout the project.

rating

reference

An informative model component that points to additional or more detailed information in related process areas.

reference model

A model that is used as a benchmark for measuring some attribute.

relevant stakeholder

A stakeholder that is identified for involvement in specified activities and is included in a plan.

representation

The organization, use, and presentation of a CMM's components. Overall, two types of approaches to presenting best practices are evident: the staged representation and the continuous representation.

required CMMI components

CMMI components that are essential to achieving process improvement in a given process area. These components are used in appraisals to determine process capability. Specific goals and generic goals are required model components.

requirement

(1) A condition or capability needed by a user to solve a problem or achieve an objective.
(2) A condition or capability that must be met or possessed by a product or product component to satisfy a contract, standard, specification, or other formally imposed documents.
(3) A documented representation of a condition or capability as in (1) or (2).

requirements analysis

"The determination of product-specific performance and functional characteristics based on analyses of customer needs, expectations, and constraints; operational concept; projected utilization environments for people, products, and processes; and measures of effectiveness."

requirements elicitation

Using systematic techniques, such as prototypes and structured surveys, to proactively identify and document customer and end-user needs.

requirements management

The management of all requirements received by or generated by the project, including both technical and nontechnical requirements as well as those requirements levied on the project by the organization.

requirements traceability

A discernable association between requirements and related requirements, implementations, and verifications.

return on investment

The ratio of revenue from output (product) to production costs, which determines whether an organization benefits from performing an action to produce something.

risk analysis

The evaluation, classification, and prioritization of risks.

risk identification

An organized, thorough approach to seek out probable or realistic risks in achieving objectives.

risk management

"An organized, analytic process to identify what might cause harm or loss (identify risks); to assess and quantify the identified risks; and to develop and, if needed, implement an appropriate approach to prevent or handle causes of risk that could result in significant harm or loss."

risk management strategy

"An organized, technical approach to identify what might cause harm or loss (identify risks); to assess and quantify the identified risks; and to develop and, if needed, implement an appropriate approach to prevent or handle causes of risk that could result in significant harm or loss. Typically, risk management is performed for project, organization, or product developing organizational units."

root cause

A source of a defect such that if it is removed, the defect is decreased or removed.

senior manager

In the CMMI Product Suite, a management role at a high enough level in an organization that the primary focus of the person filling the role is the long-term vitality of the organization rather than short-term project and contractual concerns and pressures.
A senior manager has authority to direct the allocation or reallocation of resources in support of organizational process improvement effectiveness.
A senior manager can be any manager who satisfies this description, including the head of the organization. Synonyms for "senior manager" include "executive" and "top-level manager." However, to ensure consistency and usability, these synonyms are not used in CMMI models.

service

In the CMMI Product Suite, a service is a product that is intangible and non-storable.

shared vision

A common understanding of guiding principles including mission, objectives, expected behavior, values, and final outcomes, which are developed and used by a project.

software engineering

(1) The application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software.
(2) The study of approaches as in (1).

solicitation

The process of preparing a package to be used in selecting a supplier (contractor).

special cause of process variation

A cause of a defect that is specific to some transient circumstance and not an inherent part of a process.

specific goal

A required model component that describes the unique characteristics that must be present to satisfy the process area.

specific practice

An expected model component that is considered important in achieving the associated specific goal. The specific practices describe the activities expected to result in achievement of the specific goals of a process area.

stable process

The state in which all special causes of process variation have been removed and prevented from recurring so that only the common causes of process variation of the process remain.

staged representation

"A model structure wherein attaining the goals of a set of process areas establishes a maturity level; each level builds a foundation for subsequent levels.

stakeholder

In the CMMI Product Suite, a group or individual that is affected by or is in some way accountable for the outcome of an undertaking. Stakeholders may include project members, suppliers, customers, end users, and others.

standard

When you see the word standard used as a noun in a CMMI model, it refers to the formal mandatory requirements developed and used to prescribe consistent approaches to development (e.g., ISO/IEC standards, IEEE standards, and organizational standards). Instead of using standard in its common everyday sense, we use another term that means the same thing (e.g., typical, traditional, usual, or customary).

standard process

An operational definition of the basic process that guides the establishment of a common process in an organization.A standard process describes the fundamental process elements that are expected to be incorporated into any defined process. It also describes the relationships (e.g., ordering and interfaces) among these process elements.

statement of work

A description of contracted work required to complete a project.

statistical predictability

The performance of a quantitative process that is controlled using statistical and other quantitative techniques.

statistical process control

Statistically based analysis of a process and measurements of process performance, which will identify common and special causes of variation in the process performance and maintain process performance within limits.

statistical process control

Statistically based analysis of a process and measurements of process performance, which will identify common and special causes of variation in the process performance and maintain process performance within limits.

statistical techniques

An analytic technique that employs statistical methods (e.g., statistical process control, confidence intervals, and prediction intervals).

statistically managed process

A process that is managed by a statistically based technique in which processes are analyzed, special causes of process variation are identified, and performance is contained within well-defined limits.

subpractice

An informative model component that provides guidance for interpreting and implementing a specific or generic practice. Subpractices may be worded as if prescriptive, but are actually meant only to provide ideas that may be useful for process improvement.

subprocess

A process that is part of a larger process. A subprocess can be decomposed into subprocesses and/or process elements.

supplier

(1) An entity delivering products or performing services being acquired.
(2) An individual, partnership, company, corporation, association, or other service having an agreement (contract) with an acquirer for the design, development, manufacture, maintenance, modification, or supply of items under the terms of an agreement (contract).

sustainment

The processes used to ensure that a product can be utilized operationally by its end users or customers. Sustainment ensures that maintenance is done such that the product is in an operable condition whether or not the product is in use by customers or end users.

systems engineering

The interdisciplinary approach governing the total technical and managerial effort required to transform a set of customer needs, expectations, and constraints into a product solution and to support that solution throughout the product's life.
This includes the definition of technical performance measures, the integration of engineering specialties toward the establishment of a product architecture, and the definition of supporting lifecycle processes that balance cost, performance, and schedule objectives.

tailoring

Tailoring a process makes, alters, or adapts the process description for a particular end. For example, a project establishes its defined process by tailoring from the organization's set of standard processes to meet the objectives, constraints, and environment of the project.

tailoring guidelines

Organizational guidelines that enable projects, groups, and organizational functions to appropriately adapt standard processes for their use. The organization's set of standard processes is described at a general level that may not be directly usable to perform a process.

Tailoring guidelines aid those who establish the defined processes for projects. Tailoring guidelines cover
(1) selecting a standard process,
(2) selecting an approved lifecycle model, and
(3) tailoring the selected standard process and lifecycle model to fit project needs. Tailoring guidelines describe what can and cannot be modified and identify process components that are candidates for modification.

target profile

In the continuous representation, a list of process areas and their corresponding capability levels that represent an objective for process improvement.

target staging

In the continuous representation, a sequence of target profiles that describes the path of process improvement to be followed by the organization.

technical data package

A collection of items that can include the following if such information is appropriate to the type of product and product component (e.g., material and manufacturing requirements may not be useful for product components associated with software services or processes):
- Product architecture description
- Allocated requirements
- Product component descriptions
- Product-related lifecycle process descriptions if not described as separate product components-
Key product characteristics
- Required physical characteristics and constraints
- Interface requirements
- Materials requirements (bills of material and material characteristics)
- Fabrication and manufacturing requirements (for both the original equipment manufacturer and field support)
- Verification criteria used to ensure requirements have been achieved
- Conditions of use (environments) and operating/usage scenarios, modes and states for operations, support, training, manufacturing, disposal, and verifications throughout the life of the product
- Rationale for decisions and characteristics (e.g., requirements, requirement allocations, and design choices)

technical requirements

Properties (attributes) of products or services to be acquired or developed.

test procedure

Detailed instructions for the setup, execution, and evaluation of results for a given test.

traceability

A discernable association among two or more logical entities such as requirements, system elements, verifications, or tasks.

trade study

An evaluation of alternatives, based on criteria and systematic analysis, to select the best alternative for attaining determined objectives.

training

Formal and informal learning options, which may include in-class training, informal mentoring, Web-based training, guided self-study, and formalized on-the-job training programs. The learning options selected for each situation are based on an assessment of the need for training and the performance gap to be addressed.

typical work product

An informative model component that provides sample outputs from a specific practice. These examples are called typical work products because there are often other work products that are just as effective but are not listed.

unit testing

Testing of individual hardware or software units or groups of related units.

validation

Confirmation that the product, as provided (or as it will be provided), will fulfill its intended use. In other words, validation ensures that "you built the right thing."

verification

Confirmation that work products properly reflect the requirements specified for them. In other words, verification ensures that "you built it right."

version control

The establishment and maintenance of baselines and the identification of changes to baselines that make it possible to return to the previous baseline.

work breakdown structure (WBS)

An arrangement of work elements and their relationship to each other and to the end product.

work product

In the CMMI Product Suite, a useful result of a process. This can include files, documents, products, parts of a product, services, process descriptions, specifications, and invoices. A key distinction between a work product and a product component is that a work product is not necessarily part of the product. (See also "product" and "product component.")

In CMMI models, you will see the phrase work products and services. Even though the definition of work product includes services, this phrase is used to emphasize the inclusion of services in the discussion.

work product and task attributes

Characteristics of products, services, and project tasks used to help in estimating project work. These characteristics include items such as size, complexity, weight, form, fit, and function. They are typically used as one input to deriving other project and resource estimates (e.g., effort, cost, and schedule).