A Method for Software Process Capability / Maturity Models Customization to Specific Domains

Software Process Capability/Maturity Models (SPCMMs) are repositories of best practices for software processes suitable for assessing and/or improving processes in software intensive organizations. Each software development domain, however, presents particular needs, which has led to the tendency of SPCMMs customization for specific domains, which has often been undertaken in an unsystematic way. This paper presents a method for the customization of SPCMMs for specific domains, developed based on standards development, process modeling and knowledge engineering techniques as well as experiences reported in the literature. Formative evaluations of the method have taken place through case studies and summative evaluation has been conducted through an Expert Panel. The observed results reveal early evidence that the method is suitable for SPCMMs customization.