The capabilities and maturity model (CMM): a case study

Many organizations in the field of software development present problems in productivity and product quality, even when new technologies and methodologies are applied in the process. This is due to the chaotic, undisciplined manner in which the various projects are carried out. This situation has put in evidence the inability of these organizations to manage their software development processes, which result in overtime worked and an excessive use of the resources planned. As an answer to this situation, the notion of organizational maturity has appeared related to the software development process, which has been broadly discussed by software development organizations worldwide. To this effect, the American Software Engineering Institute (SEI) has developed a reference framework of organizational maturity in the software development process, aimed at providing organizations with the support to improve this process. The capabilities and maturity model (CMM) was implemented for this purpose in order to determine the level of maturity and also as a reference for evaluation methods for the development process and its capabilities. With respect to the foregoing, the companies dedicated to software development in Venezuela have shown interest in having a tool available that would enable them to visualize clearly and objectively the level of maturity. To this effect, this paper offers a method that will serve as a guide to evaluate the level of maturity of informatics organizations in Venezuela. The sector studied in this paper is the Venezuelan oil industry which is of utmost importance to the country due to its relevance in the domestic economy. The main characteristic of the sector under study is that it has an organization, the mission of which is to provide informatics services to the rest of the functions