Why is the CMM Valuable?

The CMM is valuable for several reasons. First, it is simple and easy to understand; therefore, it speaks to the executives of a corporation. Many corporate executives are already familiar with this model and it is probable that your company’s executives are also familiar with it. Over the years I have been able to successfully use this model to illustrate major IT issues/concepts to senior executives. I have found the CMM to be a very valuable tool for attaining project funding for key initiatives like enterprise data asset management and meta data repository development (I will talk about these concepts in greater detail as my series on the CMM moves forward). Second, as you view the model it is intuitive that a company cannot currently be ranked at a level 2 and directly jump to level 4. Instead, an organization must first develop a strategy to elevate themselves to level 3. Third, many large companies and government institutions are actively using this model to compare themselves with other entities. In fact, many corporations have IT goals centered on the CMM levels. Fourth, the model gives companies a mechanism to compare themselves with other companies within their industry.