Assessing the Business Value of CMMI(R) in South Africa

The Capability Maturity Model Integration or CMMI remains the dominant standard for software process improvement globally. The lack of software quality standards such as CMMI is seen as one of the causes of the current uncompetitive state of the South African software industry and so in 2007, a pilot programme called "Bringing CMMI to South Africa" was launched. This research focused on the experiences of the South African organisations participating in the South African CMMI pilot study. The aim was to assist future managerial decision making to assess the business value CMMI can bring to South African software organisations. The research found that the adoption of CMMI improved both the internal quality and efficiencies as well as opportunities for growth. The research also established that CMMI cannot be regarded as a silver bullet solution and that while process improvements can cause short-term upheaval, there are longer-term tangible and intangible benefits. The recommendations resulting from the research, including a model, are discussed and suggestions for future research are provided.