Software Engineering Institute

The People Capability Maturity Model (P-CMM) adapts the maturity framework of the Capability Maturity Model for Software (CMM), to managing and developing an organization's workforce. The motivation for the P-CMM is to radically improve the ability of software organizations to attract, develop, motivate, organize, and retain the talent needed to continuously improve software development capability. The P-CMM is designed to allow software organizations to integrate workforce improvement with software process improvement programs guided by the CMM. The P-CMM can also be used by any kind of organization as a guide for improving their people-related and workforce practices. 

Based on the best current practices in the fields such as human resources and organizational development, the P-CMM provides organizations with guidance on how to gain control of their processes for managing and developing their workforce. The P-CMM helps organizations to characterize the maturity of their workforce practices, guide a program of continuous workforce development, set priorities for immediate actions, integrate workforce development with process improvement, and establish a culture of software engineering excellence. It describes an evolutionary improvement path from ad hoc, inconsistently performed practices, to a mature, disciplined development of the knowledge, skills, and motivation of the workforce, just as the CMM describes an evolutionary improvement path for the software processes within an organization. 

The P-CMM consists of five maturity levels that lay successive foundations for continuously improving talent, developing effective teams, and successfully managing the people assets of the organization. Each maturity level is a well-defined evolutionary plateau that institutionalizes a level of capability for developing the talent within the organization. 

This document provides an overview of the P-CMM. The P-CMM and its key practices are fully described in the People Capability Maturity Model (CMU/SEI-95-MM-002, September 1995).