Equivalent staging is a way to compare results from using the continuous representation to from using the staged representation. In essence, if you measure improvement relative to selected process areas using capability levels in the continuous representation, how do you translate that work into maturity levels? Is this translation possible?

Up to this point, we have not discussed process appraisals in much detail. The SCAMPI^SM method[1] is used to appraise organizations using CMMI, and one result of an appraisal is a rating [SEI 2011a, Ahern 2005]. If the continuous representation is used for an appraisal, the rating is a “capability level profile.” If the staged representation is used for an appraisal, the rating is a “maturity level rating” (e.g., maturity level 3).

A capability level profile is a list of process areas and the corresponding capability level achieved for each. This profile enables an organization to track its capability level by process area. The profile is called an “achievement profile” when it represents the organization’s actual progress for each process area. Alternatively, the profile is called a “target profile” when it represents the organization’s planned process improvement objectives.

Figure 3.3 illustrates a combined target and achievement profile. The gray portion of each bar represents what has been achieved. The unshaded portion represents what remains to be accomplished to meet the target profile.

Figure 3.3: Example Combined Target and Achievement Profile

An achievement profile, when compared with a target profile, enables an organization to plan and track its progress for each selected process area. Maintaining capability level profiles is advisable when using the continuous representation.

Target staging is a sequence of target profiles that describes the path of process improvement to be followed by the organization. When building target profiles, the organization should pay attention to the dependencies between generic practices and process areas. If a generic practice depends on a process area, either to carry out the generic practice or to provide a prerequisite work product, the generic practice can be much less effective when the process area is not implemented.[2]

Although the reasons to use the continuous representation are many, ratings consisting of capability level profiles are limited in their ability to provide organizations with a way to generally compare themselves with other organizations. Capability level profiles can be used if each organization selects the same process areas; however, maturity levels have been used to compare organizations for years and already provide predefined sets of process areas.

Because of this situation, equivalent staging was created. Equivalent staging enables an organization using the continuous representation to convert a capability level profile to the associated maturity level rating.

The most effective way to depict equivalent staging is to provide a sequence of target profiles, each of which is equivalent to a maturity level rating of the staged representation reflected in the process areas listed in the target profile. The result is a target staging that is equivalent to the maturity levels of the staged representation.

Figure 3.4 shows a summary of the target profiles that must be achieved when using the continuous representation to be equivalent to maturity levels 2 through 5. Each shaded area in the capability level columns represents a target profile that is equivalent to a maturity level.

Figure 3.4: Target Profiles and Equivalent Staging

The following rules summarize equivalent staging:

·         To achieve maturity level 2, all process areas assigned to maturity level 2 must achieve capability level 2 or 3.

·         To achieve maturity level 3, all process areas assigned to maturity levels 2 and 3 must achieve capability level 3.

·         To achieve maturity level 4, all process areas assigned to maturity levels 2, 3, and 4 must achieve capability level 3.

·         To achieve maturity level 5, all process areas must achieve capability level 3.