ARC - Assessment Requirements for CMMI^®

The Assessment Requirements for CMMI^® (ARC) defines the requirements considered essential to assessment methods for use with CMMI^® models. The ARC constitutes a set of guidelines for developing, defining and using assessment methods in conjunction with one or more CMMI^® assessment reference models. The ARC provides requirements for multiple types of assessment methods with guidelines for determining the suitability of a particular assessment method. Suitability considerations include the accuracy and repeatability of assessment results.

BEx² - Business Excellence Exchange

The Business Excellence Exchange is a membership based group that provides support for sharing best practice for business excellence. Established in 1997 and formerly known as the Business Excellence Benchmarking Group (BEBG), the group is independently facilitated on behalf of members by Compita Ltd and comprises ``excellence-minded" non-competitive organisations.

CAF - CMM^® Appraisal Framework

The CAF defines the requirements considered essential to assessment methods for use with CMM^® models.  CAF is to the CMM^® what ARC is to the CMMI^®.

CBA IPI - CMM^® -Based Appraisal for Internal Process Improvement

CBA IPI is the SEI^SMs assessment method using SW-CMM^® v1.1 as its reference model.  Designed to establish consistency among SW-CMM^® based assessments for comparison purposes.

CMM^® - Capability Maturity Model^®

The CMM^® is a stepped organisational maturity model devised by the SEI^SM in Pittsburgh as a model of good practice for organisations looking to improve and control their software production activities. There are a number of CMM^®s available, including the Software CMM^®, the Systems CMM^® and the Person CMM^®. (See also SW-CMM^®.)

CMMI^® - Capability Maturity Model^® Integration^SM

CMM^® Integration^SM places proven practices into a structure that helps your organisation assess its organisational maturity and process area capability, establish priorities for improvement, and guide the implementation of these improvements.  The CMMI^® exists as both a staged and continuous model.

ESEPG - European Software Engineering Process Group

The ESEPG is a European organisation which promotes and supports good practice amongst organisations involved in Software Process Improvement.

ISO15504

See SPICE.

ITIL - IT Infrastructure Library

Published by the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) in the UK, the IT Infrastructure Library is the most widely accepted approach to IT Service Management in the world, and comprises a collection of process definitions and management approaches in areas such as Service Delivery, Service Support, ICT Infrastructure Management, Application Management and Security Management.

PPA - Process Professional Assessment

Process Professional Assessment is a CAF-and ARC-compliant method for assessment developed by Compita using ISO15504, the Capability Maturity Model^® and CMMI^® as its reference models.  Process Professional Assessment is also available for the EFQM Excellence Model.

PPIM - Process Professional Improvement Manager

Process Professional Improvement Manager is Compita's proprietary method for establishing and managing a process improvement programme.

Available as a set of handbooks for use within your organisation, the method is supported by software tools and an in-depth, practical training course which provides you with the skills necessary for successful process improvement.

PPP - Process Professional Portfolio^®

The Process Professional Portfolio is a comprehensive range of tools and methods created by Compita to facilitate Software Process Improvement. It includes the Process Professional Assessment range of methods and training, Process Professional Composer, Process Professional Definition, Process Professional Manager, Process Professional Excellence Manager, Process Professional Improvement Manager and Process Professional Supplier Manager, as well as a range of supporting software tools and training workshops.

Process Professional Portfolio is a registered trademark

SCAMPI^SM - Standard CMMI^® Assessment Method for Process Improvement

SCAMPI^SM is the SEI^SM's assessment method which uses the CMMI^® as its reference model.

SEI^SM - Software Engineering Institute

Based at the Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, USA, the SEI^SM is the leading academic body in the field of Software Process Improvement.  Its members created the Capability Maturity Model^® and monitor and assess its implementation worldwide.

SPI - Software Process Improvement

Software Process Improvement is the name given to the activities undertaken by an organisation in order to achieve greater efficiency and control in the production of their software output.

SPICE (ISO15504) - Software Process Improvement Capability dEtermination

Software Process Improvement Capability dEtermination (SPICE) is a major international initiative to develop a standard for software process assessment.  It has now been adopted as the international standard ISO15504. SPICE provides a common basis for process assessment using many different methods yet allowing assessment results to be obtained in a single form in sufficient detail to identify where improvement is needed. Compita are Principal UK Experts to the SPICE project.

SW-CMM^® - Software Capability Maturity Model^®

The Capability Maturity Model^® for Software (CMM^® or SW-CMM^®) is a model for judging the maturity of the software processes of an organization and for identifying the key practices that are required to increase the maturity of these processes.

It provides an effective means for modeling, defining, and measuring the maturity of the processes used by software professionals.

The current version in common use is Version 1.1, published in February 1993.