Due to the limited attention given to testing in the various software process improvement models such as CMMI, the Test Maturity Model Integration (TMMi) was developed by the TMMi Foundation as an independent guideline and reference framework for test process improvement. It is positioned as complementary to CMMI and, just like the CMMI staged representation, TMMi uses the concept of maturity levels for process evaluation and improvement.
The stru
cture of TMMi allows process improvements to be identified at every level, from the highest to the very lowest level of detail. There are 5 Levels that are split into 16 distinct Process Areas. These are made up of Specific and Generic Goals, which are in turn made up of Specific and Generic Practices. At the lowest level, there are 845 Sub-Practices that can be reviewed and assessed – giving an unrivaled in-depth view of an organisations test process maturity and a basis for test process improvement.