What are the main similarities and differences between CMMI and ITIL practices? Since the CMMI for Services model had been recently released, there were no studies relating this model to ITIL. Therefore, to answer this question, a study was conducted, investigating and comparing both approaches.
Below is an overview of ITIL and CMMI, and finally, the comparative study carried out is presented.
Overview of ITIL
ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) is a set of information technology management practices. It began in the form of recommendations in the mid-1980s under the sponsorship of the UK government. Since then, several versions of the model have been published up to the current version 3, published in 2007. Currently, the model is maintained by the OGC (Office for Government Commerce) in England.
ITIL version 3 has five publications structured in the form of the information technology management lifecycle, as we can see in the following figure:
Each publication has a set of processes and instructions. Processes group a set of practices of a specific knowledge area and purpose.
Overview of CMMI
CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integration) is a set of practices focused on the areas of development, services, and acquisition.
Its first version emerged in the 1980s, focusing on software development. Its development was sponsored by the United States Department of Defense (DoD). Since then, several versions have been published up to the current version 1.3, published in November 2010. It was developed and is maintained by the SEI (Software Engineering Institute) at Carnegie Mellon University in the United States.
CMMI is currently organized into three models, called constellations, each containing practices for development areas (CMMI-DEV), services (CMMI-SVC), and acquisition (CMMI-ACQ). The CMMI for Services model is recent; its first version was published in February 2009.
The following figure shows how the CMMI constellation is organized. Several process areas (PAs) are shared among the three models, while others are specific to each model. Process areas group a set of practices of a specific knowledge area and purpose.
In CMMI, process areas are categorized by knowledge area, as we can observe in the following figure.
We can observe the process areas that are shared among the three models, as well as those specific to the development, services, and acquisition models.
In addition to these categories, CMMI classifies process areas by maturity levels, ranging from level 2 to level 5; the higher the level, the more process areas and practices must be met.
Comparative Study: ITIL and CMMI
The comparative study was carried out considering the ITIL version 3 model and its respective publications, and from the CMMI constellation, the CMMI for Services model, considering version 1.2 available at the time of the study.
The following figure presents the result of this study. On the left side are the ITIL processes mapped to the CMMI for Services process areas on the right side.
The relationship (lines) between the models was based on the correspondence, to a greater or lesser degree, of the practice descriptions between the two models.
Based on this study, it was possible to conclude that both models mostly have practices that point to the same purpose. Regarding the most pronounced differences, it was possible to notice that CMMI has a set of practices focused on process management and innovation, whereas ITIL brings attention to security and access and issues related to strategic service management.
Finally, this study made it possible to answer the initial question and also provided greater clarity on how to conduct application and infrastructure management process improvement work.
References
CMMI for Acquisition, Carnegie Mellon University, V. 1.2, 2007.
CMMI for Development, Carnegie Mellon University, V. 1.2, 2006.
CMMI for Services, Carnegie Mellon University, V. 1.2, 2009.
ITIL – Service Strategy, Office of Government Commerce, V. 3, 2007.
ITIL – Service Design, Office of Government Commerce, V. 3, 2007.
ITIL – Service Transition, Office of Government Commerce, V. 3, 2007.
ITIL – Service Operation, Office of Government Commerce, V. 3, 2007.
ITIL – Service Continual Service Improvement, Office of Government Commerce, V. 3, 2007.
ITIL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_Technology_Infrastructure_Library – Accessed on 10/25/2011
CMMI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capability_Maturity_Model_Integration – Accessed on 10/25/2011
