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Software Testing Maturity Models

29 Jun 2011

Majority of the software development organizations are encountering the deficiency in the effectiveness of the applied testing and quality assurance processes. Software testing teams are burdened with outdated processes from previous generations of process models that lack a mechanism in encouraging the continuous improvements in software testing methodology.  In the recent years, the efforts to systematically measure the efficiency and effectiveness have been largely appeared as the academic and research exercises, making it difficult to apply in the practical scenario.

Today, software testing is performed more and more rigorously by the product or project stakeholders in addition to traditional testing engineer groups. It becomes necessary for the software organization to evaluate the testing practices for all the key testing responsibilities and functions through a unified lens by using Software Testing Maturity Models. The assessment provides the insight to the strengths and improvement areas ranging from the low level product to the test organization.

Software Testing Maturity Models for Assessment

Software Testing Maturity Models for assessment includes a measurement of compliance level to measure the progress on the periodic level and provide a framework for planning and conducting appraisals and defining a manageable and traceable improvement. The models are often referred as the bible for users in recognizing and prioritizing processes that need improvement.

The development of test improvement models was illuminated in the late nineties and at least more than ten different models have been developed or proposed having academic origins and some targeted at specific industry verticals.

Below table provides the insight of the known Software Testing maturity models evolution in the late 90s:

Test Models Origins
Acronym Details Author/Organization
BTM Beizer’s Testing Model Authored by Beizer in 1990
TOM Test Organization Maturity Model Authored by Gerrad Consulting in the U.K. in the late 1990s
TMAP Test Management Approach Authored by Martin Pol, Rudd Teunissen and Erik Van Veenendaal in 1995 and now owned by Sogeti which is part of Capgemini.
TSM Testability Support Model Authored by Dr. David Gelperin in 1996
TPI2 Test Process Improvement Model Authored by Tim Koomen and Martin Pol in 1996
TMMSM3 Testing Maturity Model Authored by Dr. Ilene Burnstein, at the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1996
TCMM Technical Capability Maturity Model Authored by Torry Harris in 2001
TIM Test Improvement Model Authored by Thomas Ericson in 2002
TMAP Next Test Management Approach for Next generation Authored by Tim Koomen, Michiel Vroon, Leo van der Aalst & Bart Broekman in 2005
TMMiTM Test Maturity Model integrated By TMMi Foundation in 2007. In 2010 level 4 and 5 framework was released.

The two most prevalent and well documented models are Test Process Improvement Model (TPI) and Test Maturity Model (TMM). However, TPI and TMM models did not get much recognition in the software industry as popular as CMM and CMMi. TMM model faded away as much like CMM in the industry and is overtaken by TMMi framework model which is widely getting accepted in the software verticals.

TMMi Framework

TMMi framework has implemented the TMMSM3 framework which was initially developed by the Illinois Institute of Technology as one of its major sources and guided by CMMi framework. TMMi is the compilation versions of all the software testing maturity models that support test functions in large, which is not covered or are missing in any of the models mentioned above. TMMi follows a staged representation model which uses predefined sets of process areas to define an improvement path for a Test Organization that are integrated or independent of the Software Development organization.

Learn how by using the TMMi framework for software testing services, our application software services can enable you to create a high quality application ready to be launched in the market. Contact us now or call us on 1-877-RISHABH (1-877-747-4224) to explore this opportunity further!