In this chapter we describe the key relationships among process areas to help you see the acquirer’s view of process improvement and which process areas build on the implementation of other process areas.

The relationships among multiple process areas, including the information and artifacts that flow from one process area to another—illustrated by the figure and descriptions in this chapter—help you see a larger view of process implementation and improvement.

Successful process improvement initiatives must be driven by the business objectives of the organization. For example, a common business objective is to reduce the time it takes to get a product to market. The process improvement objective derived from that might be to improve the project management processes to ensure on-time delivery. Those improvements rely on best practices in the Project Planning and Project Monitoring and Control process areas.

Although we group process areas in this chapter to simplify the discussion of their relationships, process areas often interact and have an effect on one another regardless of their group, category, or level. For example, the Decision Analysis and Resolution process area (a Support process area at maturity level 3) contains specific practices that address the formal evaluation process used in the Solicitation and Supplier Agreement Development process area (an Acquisition process area at maturity level 2) to select suppliers for acquirer management.

Being aware of the key relationships that exist among CMMI process areas will help you apply CMMI in a useful and productive way. Relationships among process areas are described in more detail in the references in each process area and specifically in the Related Process Areas section of each process area in Part Two. Refer to Chapter 2 for more information about references.

Figure 4.1 illustrates key relationships among CMMI-ACQ process areas.

Figure 4.1    Key Relationships Among Process Areas