The criteria that a deliverable must satisfy to be accepted by a user, customer, or other authorized entity. (See also “deliverable.”)

Formal testing conducted to enable a user, customer, or other authorized entity to determine whether to accept a deliverable. (See also “unit testing.”)

A list of process areas and their corresponding capability levels that represent the organization’s progress for each process area while advancing through the capability levels. (See also “capability level profile,” “target profile,” and “target staging.”)

The stakeholder that acquires or procures a product or service from a supplier. (See also “stakeholder.”)

The process of obtaining products or services through supplier agreements. (See also “supplier agreement.”)

The specific approach to acquiring products and services that is based on considerations of supply sources, acquisition methods, requirements specification types, agreement types, and related acquisition risks.

A clearly marked model component that contains information of interest to particular users.
In a CMMI model, all additions bearing the same name can be optionally selected as a group for use. In CMMI for Services, the Service System Development (SSD) process area is an addition.

Requirement that results from levying all or part of a higher level requirement on a lower level architectural element or design component.
More generally, requirements can be allocated to other logical or physical components including people, consumables, delivery increments, or the architecture as a whole, depending on what best enables the product or service to achieve the requirements.

American National Standards Institute

application program interface

An examination of one or more processes by a trained team of professionals using an appraisal reference model as the basis for determining, at a minimum, strengths and weaknesses.
This term has a special meaning in the CMMI Product Suite besides its common standard English meaning.

The results of an appraisal that identify the most important issues, problems, or opportunities for process improvement within the appraisal scope.
Appraisal findings are inferences drawn from corroborated objective evidence.

Members of the organizational unit who participate in providing information during an appraisal.

The value assigned by an appraisal team to (a) a CMMI goal or process area, (b) the capability level of a process area, or (c) the maturity level of an organizational unit.
This term is used in CMMI appraisal materials such as the SCAMPI MDD. A rating is determined by enacting the defined rating process for the appraisal method being employed.

The CMMI model to which an appraisal team correlates implemented process activities.
This term is used in CMMI appraisal materials such as the SCAMPI MDD.

The definition of the boundaries of an appraisal encompassing the organizational limits and CMMI model limits within which the processes to be investigated operate.
This term is used in CMMI appraisal materials such as the SCAMPI MDD.

Appraisal Requirements for CMMI

The set of structures needed to reason about a product. These structures are comprised of elements, relations among them, and properties of both.
In a service context, the architecture is often applied to the service system.
Note that functionality is only one aspect of the product. Quality attributes, such as responsiveness, reliability, and security, are also important to reason about. Structures provide the means for highlighting different portions of the architecture. (See also “functional architecture.”)

An objective examination of a work product or set of work products against specific criteria (e.g., requirements). (See also “objectively evaluate.”)
This is a term used in several ways in CMMI, including configuration audits and process compliance audits.