A life-cycle standard (e.g., DODMIL-
STD-498 or 2157a) is not a process. A tool is not a process. A process consists
of sequential steps of what needs to be done, plus the procedures detailing how to
do the whats.
n n n
194 n Interpreting the CMMI
The CMMI definition of process is found in the glossary. It states, ???A process
as used in the CMMI product suite consists of activities that can be recognized as
implementations of practices in a CMMI model. These activities can be mapped
to one or more practices in CMMI process areas to allow a model to be useful for
process improvement and process appraisal.??? Although this definition does focus
on implementing the practices of the CMMI, we find the definition unsatisfactory.
We prefer to look at the definition in the CMMI for process description. A process
description is ???a documented expression of a set of activities performed to achieve a
given purpose that provides an operational definition of the major components of a
process. The documentation specifies, in a complete, precise, and verifiable manner,
the requirements, design, behavior, or other characteristics of a process.
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