Achieving CMMI compliance with Scrum focusing on ML2 Project Management PAs

The primary purpose of this study is to determine if the implementation of Scrum in a CMMI environment can help an organization to significantly reduce the effort to achieve CMMI capability level 2 on all project management related process areas (excluding SAM). The study was divided into three parts that contributed most of the information. First, a literature research was done that investigated the feasibility of a combination of CMMI and agile methods and Scrum in particular. Second, a combined mapping of all CMMI practices of the process areas PMC, PP and REQM on level 2 with the known Scrum practices was made, in order to find out to what degree the implementation of Scrum helps an organization to achieve CMMI compliance. Third, an appraisal of an already carried out Scrum project was made in order to find real evidence of a working combination. To satisfy all CMMI practices in question the Scrum practices however needed further improvements. Though the appraisal showed that in a professional SW-organization most of the missing gaps were filled through company policies and project practices. Data for this study were mainly obtained from literature research and from two interviews conducted with two key players of the examined Scrum project. The results show that with the implementation of Scrum, 25 (or 70%) of all CMMI practices related to project management (excluding SAM) on capability level 2 were fulfilled. Furthermore with few improvements it is possible to satisfy all CMMI practices on level 2. On the basis of these results, it can be concluded that a combination of CMMI and agile methods is not only possible but recommended and that the implementation of Scrum can significantly help an organization to achieve capability level 2 on all project management related process areas of CMMI (excluding SAM).