Page 1408 - (ISC)² CISSP Certified Information Systems Security Professional Official Study Guide

behind the SW-CMM is that the quality of software depends on the
quality of its development process.

The stages of the SW-CMM are as follows:

Level 1: Initial In this phase, you’ll often find hardworking people
charging ahead in a disorganized fashion. There is usually little or no
defined software development process.

Level 2: Repeatable In this phase, basic lifecycle management
processes are introduced. Reuse of code in an organized fashion begins
to enter the picture, and repeatable results are expected from similar

projects. SEI defines the key process areas for this level as
Requirements Management, Software Project Planning, Software
Project Tracking and Oversight, Software Subcontract Management,
Software Quality Assurance, and Software Configuration
Management.

Level 3: Defined In this phase, software developers operate
according to a set of formal, documented software development

processes. All development projects take place within the constraints
of the new standardized management model. SEI defines the key
process areas for this level as Organization Process Focus,
Organization Process Definition, Training Program, Integrated
Software Management, Software Product Engineering, Intergroup
Coordination, and Peer Reviews.

Level 4: Managed In this phase, management of the software

process proceeds to the next level. Quantitative measures are utilized
to gain a detailed understanding of the development process. SEI
defines the key process areas for this level as Quantitative Process
Management and Software Quality Management.

Level 5: Optimizing In the optimized organization, a process of
continuous improvement occurs. Sophisticated software development
processes are in place that ensure that feedback from one phase

reaches to the previous phase to improve future results. SEI defines
the key process areas for this level as Defect Prevention, Technology
Change Management, and Process Change Management. For more
information on the Capability Maturity Model for Software, visit the