Developing a Testing Maturity Model: Part I

Testing is a critical component of a mature software development process. It is one of the most challenging and costly process activities, and in its fullest definition provides strong support for the production of quality software. In spite of its vital role in software development, existing maturity models have not adequately addressed testing issues nor has the nature of a mature testing process been well defined. We are developing a Testing Maturity Model to address deficiencies these areas. The TMM will complement the Software Engineering Institute's Capability Maturity Model (CMM) by specifically addressing issues important to test managers, test specialists, and software quality assurance staff. The TMM will contain a set of maturity levels through which an organization can progress toward testing process maturity, a set of recommended practices at each level of maturity, and an assessment model that will allow organizations to evaluate and improve their testing process.