Components Associated in CMMI (1)

Purpose Statements
The purpose statement describes the purpose of the process area and is an informative component.
For example, the purpose statement of the Organizational Process Definition process area is “The purpose of Organizational Process Definition (OPD) is to establish and maintain a usable set of organizational process assets and work environment standards.”


Introductory Notes
The introductory notes section of the process area describes the major concepts covered in the process area and is an informative component.
An example from the introductory notes of the Project Planning process area is “Planning begins with requirements that define the product and project.”

Related Process Areas
The related process areas section lists references to related process areas and reflects the high-level relationships among the process areas. The related process area section is an informative component.
An example of a reference found in the related process areas section of the Project Planning process area is “Refer to the Risk Management process area for more information about identifying and managing risks.”


Specific Goals
A specific goal describes the unique characteristics that must be present to satisfy the process area. A specific goal is a required model component and is used in appraisals to help determine whether a process area is satisfied.
For example, a specific goal from the Configuration Management process area is “Integrity of baselines is established and maintained.”Only the statement of the specific goal is a required model component. The title of a specific goal (preceded by the goal number) and any notes associated with the goal are considered informative model components.


Generic Goals
Generic goals are called “generic” because the same goal statement applies to multiple process areas. A generic goal describes the characteristics that must be present to institutionalize the processes that implement a process area. A generic goal is a required model component and is used in appraisals to determine whether a process area is satisfied. (See the Generic Goals and Generic Practices section on page 75 for a more detailed description of generic goals.)
An example of a generic goal is “The process is institutionalized as a defined process.”Only the statement of the generic goal is a required model component. The title of a generic goal (preceded by the goal number) and any notes associated with the goal are considered informative model components.