How to Achieve Level 5 Maturity for QA and Testing Process

This guide offers insight into the CMM levels and the procedures for achieving them forQA procedures, exemplified in detail.

All processes, be they QA, development, or non-technical, have varying maturity levels. Maturity levels can be said to refer to the extent of procedure refinement and formalization, ranging from random procedures to officially outlined steps, to managed outcome metrics, to procedure optimization.

CMM (Capability Maturity Model)

This model, centered around procedures, assesses the maturity of an organization across varied domains. The CMM concept was introduced by the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) in the United States.

Although this model is primarily used for the Software Development process, it is also applicable to other processes like QA and testing.

It comprises of 5 maturity stages, which extends from 1 to 5. As we transition from level 1 to level 5, variability and inconsistency decrease. Next is an elaboration for each of these 5 levels.

Let’s delve into the 5 CMM levels related to the QA process and the expected returns at each level in order to enhance the maturity of a QA/testing process and make it to level 5.

Level 1 (Initial) – Ad-Hoc: Unplanned, Unsystematic, and Imprecise

In this level, little attention is given to planning, adhering to procedures, guidelines, and standards, as suggested by “Ad-Hoc”. There’s no uniform and consistent approach to execute tasks. The only priority is to meet deadlines, irrespective of the quality of the final product and deliverables. As there are no preset standards and procedures, different people perform the same task in different ways.

This lack of systemization and inconsistency gets amplified when the same task is performed differently in later instances, as there are no guiding documents for process replication. Hence, at this level, the process is poorly managed, unpredictable, and reactive.

For instance,

QA – In an organization, though QA is a phase in the product life cycle, there are no predefined standards, outlined procedures, or templates for QA deliverables such as test plans, test strategies, test scenarios, and test cases. Even when these elements are delineated and documented, team members have their unique ways of performing tasks, leading to a lack of consistency. Therefore, QA becomes uncontrolled and a chaotic phase.

Level 2 (Repeatable) – Control: Begin Lineation of Procedures At A High Level

At this phase, the issue of unavailable QA procedures, methodologies, and standards observed in Level 1 are addressed. Procedures, methodologies, and standards are outlined and documented, facilitating reuse in similar tasks completed previously. This level is referred to as “repeatable” because the steps for executing the same type of work can be reproduced.

The emphasis at this level is primarily on rudimentary project management.

For instance,

QA – Delineate the comprehensive QA procedure and methodology for different types of testing, such as functional, data, and performance testing. Determine the roles and responsibilities of QA engineers and test leads in the project life cycle and generate templates for deliverables in every phase. Test plans, test strategies, test scenarios, and test cases become well established. Additionally, have the documentation shared within the team.

Level 3 (Defined) – Core Prowess: Formulate A Generalized Process For Broader Audiences And Domains

At level 3, individuals are inspired to conform to the procedures and standards outlined in level 2. In order to achieve this, it’s crucial to clearly communicate the procedures to all individuals involved. One must determine if all essential skills are held to utilize the procedures and standards efficiently and effectively, and if any training is needed.

Additionally, it’s important to inspire and aid resources to adhere to these standards and procedures. More experienced individuals should impart their knowledge to others.

The emphasis at this level is on documentation, procedure standardization, and integration. By this point, the organization has developed its standardized process for software testing.

For instance,

QA – Conduct webinars and training sessions to familiarize individuals with the newly delineated QA procedures and standards and motivate them to incorporate these into their day-to-day project work.

Level 4 (Managed) – Predictable: Quantify the Procedures

At this level, the procedures defined in level 3 are quantitatively evaluated. This is done to control the effort necessary for any task. Based on the quantitative analysis, procedures can be adjusted if required, without compromising on the quality of the end product.

An analysis is executed by breaking down the entire process into smaller sub-processes, which are then subjected to quantitative techniques. Based on the outcomes, sub-processes can be adjusted if required.

This level is labeled predictable because based on past experience, the process can be quantitatively predicted and this prediction can be utilized for future processes.

The critical process areas of CMM level 4 are quantitative project management and organizational process performance.

In summary, the process is measured and controlled at this level.

For instance,

QA – Conduct routine audits to ensure adherence to outlined procedures, utilization of standard templates, and compliance with the methodology. If automation testing is involved, routine code reviews of the automation test scripts would be an apt example.

Level 5 (Optimizing) – Innovative: Constant Improvement

At this level, innovative techniques are identified to further advance the predefined procedures and standards. This is an ongoing and continuous procedure.

This can be attained by constantly monitoring and re-engineering our own procedures, incorporating fresh tools and technologies, conducting continuing research and studies, and staying abreast with market trends and information.

Moreover, benchmarking other organizations and learning from them can aid in procedure enhancement through the introduction of new innovations. The emphasis at this level is on continuous procedure enhancement. The critical process areas are organizational performance management and quantitative project management.

For instance,

QA – Continuously enhance the methodology and procedures based on past audit outcomes.

Based on studies, it has been concluded that organizations at level 1 may spend $1000 for a specific task, whereas organizations at level 5 would only need $10 for the same task.

Recently, in my organization, we discovered that we were carrying out regression testing manually, which involved repeated manual effort and took up a considerable amount of time. We decided to conduct a Proof of Concept (POC) to automate the regression testing process using an automation testing tool. The POC was successful, resulting in regression testing being done through automation test scripts. This saved significant effort and time, contributing to overall process improvement.

After reviewing the above 5 levels, it seems that reaching level 3 is a challenge. However, once level 3 is reached, the subsequent levels are not too far and difficult to attain 🙂

Added Information

At present, the CMMI model has gained popularity and replaced CMM. CMMI (Capability maturity model integration) is the successor to CMM.

CMMI is an integrated approach that merges separate models, overcoming the restrictions of traditional CMM. It also consists of 5 levels, similar to CMM.

For additional information and a comparison between CMM and CMMI, you can refer to the following link: CMM vs CMMI

In the software testing market, some noteworthy organizations that have achieved CMMI level 5 include Capgemini India Pvt. Ltd – “FSGBU India – Development and Testing Projects,” Capita – “IT Professional Services – Testing Projects,” and Infosys Public Services – “Software Development, Maintenance, and Testing.”

You can obtain the CMMI ratings of various organizations.

Additional Reading: What is SEI? CMM? ISO? IEEE? ANSI? Will it help?

This is a guest article by Meenal Balajiwale.

Meenal serves as a Team Lead in an MNC, specializing in holistic QA procedures for functional, data, performance, and security testing. She has experience with both Waterfall and Agile models, as well as BI testing, web testing, and data quality.

Please feel free to pose any questions you have in the comments section below.