A comment in response to a comment in response to my recent KJR and Advice Line discussing Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI):Stephen wrote:"The problem is that "one size fits all" can easily turn into "one size fits none". Innovation is easily stifled when all changes have to go through layers of bureaucracy (which I presume CMMI imposes)."Your statement above is ~85% right. The first 85%.CMMI does *n A comment in response to a comment in response to my recent KJR and Advice Line discussing Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI):Stephen wrote:“The problem is that “one size fits all” can easily turn into “one size fits none”. Innovation is easily stifled when all changes have to go through layers of bureaucracy (which I presume CMMI imposes).” Your statement above is ~85% right. The first 85%.CMMI does *not* impose layers of bureaucracy. How exactly do layers of bureaucracy improve productivity and performance and reduce waste?Granted, layers of bureaucracy are exactly how way too many organizations get to a CMMI rating, but that’s not the model’s fault. That’s a fault of making the rating the goal (at any cost) instead of honest improvement the goal (to lower cost). Bob’s Last Word:Oh, now hold on a minute, hoss. “… but that’s not the model’s fault. That’s a fault of making the rating the goal (at any cost) instead of honest improvement the goal (to lower cost).”You’re forgetting the first rule of measurement: You always get what you measure. It’s the risk you take. That means:If you measure the right things wrong, you get the wrong results.If you measure the wrong things, right or wrong, you get the wrong results. And anything you don’t measure you don’t get.Once SEI established a maturity measure, it’s a slam dunk organizations will go for the number. They’ll only achieve the underlying goal (a) by accident, or (b) because the number is so well correlated with the goal that you can’t achieve one without the other.– Bob Technology Industry