The CMM software quality assurance process scaled down for small organizations

Earlier research has shown that the Sofhare Engineering Institute s Capability Maturity Model CMMO can be tailored to suit smaller organizations. This paper summarizes a research effort which recommends a different approach in which the Software Quality Assurance (SQA) Key Process Area (KPA), as modeled within the CMM levels 2 and 3, is simplified for use by small sized organizations while maintaining the structure of the original CMM SQA KPA. The paper describes the approach for generating a Software Quality Assurance guide in which the SQA process activities and the embedded procedures within these activities (drawn from the CMM levels 2 and 3) have been collected into one set and briefed down such that they are easier to follow as a tailored practice. Additional guidelines (and sometimes templates) drawn from international standards can also be added to complement the scaled down model with essential items such as the SQA plan, risk management and mitigation strategies and commonly used measurements and metrics.