Capability Maturity Certification for Systems and Software Engineering

Core Content of Certification

The Systems and Software Engineering Capability Maturity Model Certification revolves around development and operations integration capability, with a core focus on six major capability domains:

• Project Management Capability Domain: Covers capabilities such as requirements management, project planning and monitoring, risk management, and configuration management. It evaluates the organization’s management capability and execution standardization throughout the entire software project lifecycle.
• Process Improvement Capability Domain: Covers capabilities such as process definition and improvement, process assessment, and process asset management. It evaluates the organization’s ability to continuously optimize and standardize development and operations processes.
• Support and Assurance Capability Domain: Covers capabilities such as quality assurance, document management, supplier management, and training management. It evaluates the organization’s level of support and assurance system construction in software engineering.
• Product Development Capability Domain: Covers capabilities such as requirements development, design and implementation, testing and verification, continuous integration and continuous deployment. It evaluates the organization’s software product development capability and engineering practice level.
• Service Management Capability Domain: Covers capabilities such as service desk and incident management, problem management, change management, and service level management. It evaluates the organization’s IT service management and operations support capability.
• Infrastructure Capability Domain: Covers capabilities such as environment management, configuration item management, tool chain integration, and automated deployment. It evaluates the organization’s technical infrastructure construction and automation level.

The six major capability domains are further subdivided into 30 capabilities, with a total of 260 specific requirements defined across five maturity levels. The certification assessment comprehensively covers these capability requirements, conducting rigorous reviews through document review, system demonstrations, and personnel interviews.

Certification Levels and Evaluation System

The Systems and Software Engineering Capability Maturity Model Certification is based on the GB/T 42560-2023 standard and adopts a five-level maturity rating, from low to high:

• Level 1 (Initial): The development and operations integration process is unpredictable, success depends on individual efforts, and standardized processes are lacking. Organizations at this level have not yet established a systematic DevOps management system.
• Level 2 (Managed): Basic management processes are established at the project level, allowing for planning, execution, and tracking of project activities. Organizations at this level have implemented preliminary DevOps practices at the project level.
• Level 3 (Defined): Standardized development and operations integration processes are established at the organizational level, with processes that are standardized and documented. Organizations at this level have standardized DevOps practices and promoted them throughout the organization.
• Level 4 (Quantitatively Managed): Quantitative management is achieved, controlling the performance of development and operations processes through data analysis. Organizations at this level can use quantitative indicators to evaluate and optimize DevOps effectiveness.
• Level 5 (Optimizing): Continuous optimization and innovation, with proactive process improvement based on quantitative feedback. Organizations at this level possess the capability for continuous optimization and improvement of DevOps practices.

Certification assessment typically starts at Level 2. For initial applications, organizations can apply for assessment at Level 2 (Managed), Level 3 (Defined), or Level 4 (Quantitatively Managed). Only after holding a Level 4 certificate for one year and within its validity period can an organization apply for Level 5 (Optimizing) assessment.

Certification Process

The Systems and Software Engineering Capability Maturity Model Certification typically includes the following stages:

• Application and Acceptance: The organization submits an assessment application to the evaluation body, which reviews the application materials. After the application is approved, both parties sign an assessment contract. The evaluation body must be registered with the China National Accreditation and Certification Administration (CNCA).
• Pre-assessment and Preparation: The evaluation body conducts preliminary research, determines the scope and level of assessment, and assists the organization in gap analysis and improvement preparation. The China Electronics Standardization Institute (CESI), as the sole official certification body for DOMM certification, forms an assessment team to carry out the work according to the established assessment process.
• Document Review: The assessment team reviews the organization's submitted process documents, project records, management specifications, and other materials to verify compliance with the GB/T 42560-2023 standard.
• On-site Assessment: The assessment team conducts on-site assessment according to the established assessment plan. On-site assessment generally includes the following steps: initial meeting, tool and implementation record survey, personnel interviews, evidence sorting by the assessment team, preliminary findings report, rating, and closing meeting. The assessment follows sampling principles for project or product sampling and conducts on-site assessment on selected samples.
• Corrective Actions and Review: For non-conformities identified during the assessment, the organization completes corrective actions within a specified period and submits evidence for review by the assessment team.
• Certification Decision and Certificate Issuance: After completing the on-site assessment, the assessment team leader submits the assessment results to the technical committee of the evaluation body, which reviews the results. Upon approval, the corresponding level of assessment certificate is issued, including the "Assessment Report" and "Level Certificate". The certification certificate is valid for three years.
• Surveillance Audit: After certification, regular surveillance audits are conducted to ensure the system continues to meet certification requirements. Re-certification audits are conducted before the certificate expires to extend certification eligibility.

Value of Certification

• Improve Software Delivery Efficiency and Quality: Through systematic development and operations integration capability building, it helps organizations break down barriers between development and operations, establish automated pipelines for continuous integration and continuous deployment, significantly improving software delivery speed and stability. Enterprises that have passed the assessment generally report significant improvements in development and operations work efficiency, software product quality, and user satisfaction.
• Standardize Software Development Management Processes: The national standard establishes a complete maturity model around six major capability domains, helping enterprises achieve full-process standardized management from project planning, process monitoring, quality assurance to service management. Enterprises that were among the first to pass the assessment indicate that the DOMM assessment marks the establishment of a mature and standardized development and operations integration management process.
• Enhance Market Competitiveness: Certified enterprises can demonstrate their mature capabilities in software development, delivery, and post-launch operations management to customers and partners. In software project bidding and supplier admission, the DOMM assessment level serves as an important proof of capability, helping to increase bid-winning probability and customer trust.
• Identify Improvement Directions and Industry Benchmarking: Through the assessment, organizations can identify strengths and weaknesses in their DevOps practices, providing direction for improvement. By comparing with industry best practices, organizations can identify gaps in their DevOps implementation and promote continuous improvement.
• Receive National-Level Authoritative Recognition: The DOMM assessment is conducted based on national standards, with the China Electronics Standardization Institute (CESI) as the sole official certification body for DOMM certification nationwide. Certified enterprises receive national-level authoritative recognition, effectively proving their maturity level in software development and operations management.
• Promote Organizational Cultural Change: DevOps is not only a set of technical practices but also a culture and philosophy. Through standard implementation and assessment, it fosters collaboration and trust between development and operations teams, establishes a shared responsibility culture, and drives continuous improvement of overall organizational effectiveness.
• Facilitate Digital Transformation: Under the trend of cloud-native industry architecture and application systems, the DOMM certification helps organizations establish development and operations integration capabilities aligned with cloud-native, microservices, and containerization technologies, providing solid engineering capability support for digital transformation.