No IT firm benefits from SEI CMMI

Answer these questions:

1) Why does one create a grocery shopping list?

2) Why does one check and cross verify ones banking transactions?

3) Why does one buy insurance?

Here are the answers:

1) Because human memory has limitations and very few people have such a sharp memory so as to remember more than 5 items

2) Because we want to be sure that nothing is amiss

3) To cover our risks

So, we are doing all these things for our own benefit. Similar is the case with SEI CMMI processes:

1) Your checklists (coding/design/ delivery etc) help you ensure that you have not missed out on anything -- if you miss out on any of these, you might have to slog later to correct them or bear the consequences

2) Similarly, requirements traceability matrix helps you tally and cross check that none of the requirements have been missed out in design, coding or testing

3) Defect prevention strategies (as advocated by SEI CMMI 5) are like risk covers -- and if there are lesser defects later, your life will be cool.

So, it's not the IT firm you are working-for that will benefit from SEI CMM or SEI CMMI, it will be you (the person who uses/implements these processes on ground) who will benefit the most