TMMi-P_Syll2020 TMMi - Test Maturity Model Integration Professional Questions and Answers

In the TMMi framework, aSpecific Goalis unique to a particular process area and represents the essential outcomes that must be achieved for that process area. In contrast, aGeneric Goalapplies across multiple process areas and ensures that the processes are institutionalised, managed, and aligned with broader organisational objectives. Generic Goals help maintain consistency and effectiveness of processes across the organisation, while Specific Goals focus on the particular needs of an individual process area.

The process area that addresses the definition of test functions and the establishment of test career paths is the Test Organization process area,found at TMMi Level 3. This process area focuses on creating a well-structured test organisation, defining various test functions, and establishing career paths for testers. Specific practices include defining roles for test specialists, assigning staff to those roles, and establishing career development frameworks to support the professional growth of testers within the organisation.

This statement isFALSEbecause in thestaged representationof CMMI, therearefixed levels or stages that an organization must proceed through in a predefined sequence. These stages guide organizations to improve their processes systematically by following a maturity path, with each stage building on the processes defined in the previous one.

Thestaged representationis designed with predefined levels that organizations must achieve in an orderly manner, making sure that process improvements at each level lay the foundation for the next one.

In contrast, thecontinuous representationallows organizations to select specific process areas from various categories based on their improvement goals and does not impose a strict sequence of levels.

TMMi References:

The CMMI documentation within TMMi clearly states that thestaged representationinvolves afixed set of levelsthrough which organizations progress​.

CMMI also has acontinuous representationwhere organizations can select improvement areas freely from different process categories​.

The specific goals of the "Test Monitoring and Control" process area at TMMi Level 2 focus on monitoring both test progress and product quality. One of the key practices is managing and monitoringtest incidents to closure(Specific Practice 3.3). The goal is to ensure that any test-related issues are tracked, addressed, and resolved. This process area emphasises identifying corrective actions when deviations occur and ensuring that they are brought to closure.

Monitoring test incidents helps provide insight into the test status and product quality while ensuring that all critical incidents are resolved effectively, thus aligning with the overall objective of controlling the testing process​​.

Test Design and Execution is a key process area at TMMi Level 2, not Level 3. However, other process areas at TMMi Level 3 include Non-functional Testing, Peer Reviews, and Test Lifecycle and Integration. Test Design and Execution plays a foundational role in laying down the practices for creating and executing test cases, especially at earlier maturity levels. By TMMi Level 3, processes become more sophisticated with a broader range of testing techniques and integration into the overall lifecycle.

The process areasTest OrganizationandTest Life Cycle and Integrationat TMMi Level 3 most strongly build on the practices and experiences of Test Planning from TMMi Level 2. Test Organization focuses on institutionalising the testing roles and responsibilities across the lifecycle, while Test Life Cycleand Integration ensures that testing is integrated throughout the development lifecycle, improving coordination and planning of test activities across different phases of the project.

In Agile environments, TMMi is often used to complement the Agile methodology by providing structured guidance on critical testing practices that may be overlooked. While Agile focuses on flexibility and responsiveness, TMMi can remind organisations of essential practices that ensure thorough testing, such as formal reviews or defect management. The TMMi framework does not impose strict processes but offers structured support for critical test process improvements that align with Agile principles.

Aspecific practiceis an expected component of the TMMi model. Expected components describe what an organisation will typically implement to achieve required components, such as specific and generic goals. Specific practices are activities that are crucial for achieving the specific goals of a process area, and they are evaluated during assessments to determine whether the goals have been met.

One of the key differences between informal and formal assessments is that informal assessments are not as rigorous. Informal assessments are more flexible, quicker, and less costly; however, they do not provide the same level of detail or accuracy as formal assessments. The statement that "informal assessments provide a result just as accurate as with a formal assessment" is therefore false. Formal assessments involve multiple types of evidence and a more thorough evaluation, while informal assessments typically rely on fewer types of evidence (often only interviews)​​.

ISO/IEC 15504, which is known for its process assessment model, was not one of the sources used during the development of the TMMi model. The TMMi model was developed using inputs from sources such as the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI), international testing standards (like those from ISO and IEEE), and industry testing best practices surveys. While the ISO/IEC 15504 model has relevance to general process assessments, it was not specifically referenced in the creation of the TMMi.

TheTMMi modelis designed to be versatile and applicable acrossall test levels(including static and dynamic testing) andall types of development methodologies, such aswaterfall,Agile, andDevOps. It provides comprehensive coverage of the testing process, ensuring that all critical aspects of testing—such as lifecycle processes, techniques, infrastructure, and organization—are addressed.

TMMiis not limited to specific development methods or organizational sizes; it islifecycle-independentand can be used effectively with various development approaches, making it widely applicable in bothsmallandlarge organizations.

TMMi References:

TMMi coversall test levels, including bothstatic testing(such as reviews) anddynamic testingat multiple stages, and is applicable across different software development lifecycles​​.

The specific practice"Establish the Organization’s Test Process Database"is found within theTest Lifecycle and Integrationprocess area, which is part ofTMMi Level 3. This process area aims to establish standardized test processes across the organization, including maintaining atest process databasethat holds process-related information and data for reuse and continuous improvement.

TMMi References:

TheTest Lifecycle and Integrationprocess area is responsible for establishing and maintaining organizational test process assets, including the test process database​​.

A. Required component (II): Must be achieved. These are specific and generic goals that are mandatory for reaching a particular maturity level.

B. Expected component (III): Will typically be implemented. Expected components include specific and generic practices, which provide guidance on how to achieve required goals.

C. Informative component (I): Supports the understanding. Informative components provide details that help organisations understand and implement the required and expected components effectively, such as sub-practices and example work products.

The description provided—where testing ismulti-level, with distinct test levels (component, integration, system, and acceptance), and where the processes of testing and debugging are differentiated—applies toTMMi Level 2 (Managed). At this maturity level, testing is separated from debugging, and there are formalized processes for different testing levels. A company-wide or program-wide test strategy is established, and specific testing objectives are defined for each test level.

TMMi References:

TheTMMi Level 2framework defines structured testing withmultiple levels, including component, integration, system, and acceptance testing, as well as the separation of testing and debugging​​.

A typical business reason for starting a test improvement program is to achievehigher productivity. Test process improvements can lead to better efficiency in test execution, reduction of defects, and optimised resource usage, all of which contribute to the overall productivity of the organisation. By improving testing processes, organisations can reduce time-to-market and minimise costs associated with fixing defects post-production, which in turn boosts productivity.

In the scenario described, where an organisation suffers from poor test estimations despite many practices being in place, the process area that requires attention is Test Planning. Specifically,SG 3 (Establish Test Estimates)focuses on developing well-founded estimates for testing effort and cost. This includes creating a top-level work breakdown structure, defining the test lifecycle, and determining estimates for the test effort and costs associated with different test activities. By addressing these practices, the organisation can improve its ability to generate accurate test estimations, leading to better project planning and resource allocation.

At TMMi Level 5, theQuality Controlprocess area becomes relevant as it focuses on statistically managing and controlling the test process. Since the organisation is already at TMMi Level 4, moving to Level 5 involves ensuring that the test process is fully predictable, measured, and statistically controlled.Quality Control is a key process area in achieving TMMi Level 5 compliance, alongside other areas such as Defect Prevention and Test Process Optimization.

This statement is related to adefined process(Generic Goal 3), not amanaged process(Generic Goal 2). A managed process (GG2) refers to processes that are planned, executed inaccordance with policy, involve relevant stakeholders, are monitored and controlled, and are reviewed for adherence. Tailoring from the organisation's set of standard processes applies to a defined process, which is established under GG3.

The absence of amaster test plan spanning multiple test levelspoints to a weakness in theTest Lifecycle and Integrationprocess area, which is aTMMi Level 3process area. This process area focuses on ensuring that testing is integrated throughout the development lifecycle and includes the development of comprehensive test plans (including master test plans) that cover multiple test levels and align with the overall testing strategy.

TMMi References:

TheTest Lifecycle and Integrationprocess area atTMMi Level 3addresses the need for comprehensive and integrated test planning across all test levels​​.

Both Test Organization and Test Training Program are process areas associated with TMMi Level 3 (Defined). At this level, the organisation establishes a formal test organisation and ensures that there is a dedicated test training program. This helps to institutionalise testing as a profession and ensures the systematic development of skills needed for testing activities across the organisation.

The specific goals of theTest Process Optimizationprocess area atTMMi Level 5include:

Select test process improvements.

Evaluate new testing technologies to determine their impact on the testing process.

Deploy test process improvements.

However,"Determine, plan and implement test process improvements"(2) and"Monitor product quality against plan and expectations"(5) are not part of the Test Process Optimization goals. Instead, these activities belong to other process areas, such asTest Measurementor earlier maturity levels.

TMMi References:

The goals forTest Process OptimizationatTMMi Level 5focus on selecting and deploying process improvements and evaluating new technologies​​.

In the Test Design and Execution process area of TMMi Level 2, there are four specific goals. The relevant goals for this question are SG 2 (Perform Test Implementation) and SG 3 (Perform Test Execution):

SG 2 Perform Test Implementationincludes practices such as developing and prioritising test procedures and creating specific test data. Therefore, the specific practice that aligns with this goal is"Create specific test data" (III).

SG 3 Perform Test Executioninvolves executing the tests and logging the outcomes. One of the specific practices here is"Write test log" (II), which documents the execution data in a structured manner.

Thus, the correct pair is SG 2 withIII (Create specific test data)and SG 3 withII (Write test log)​​.

Sub-practices are informative components within the TMMi model. Informative components provide additional details or guidance to help organisations understand how to approach the required and expected components. Sub-practices are not mandatory, but they offer ideas or methods that can assist with the implementation of specific practices. Other examples of informative components include example work products, notes, and references.

The process areaNon-functional Testingat TMMi Level 3 focuses on performing a structured test execution process for non-functional attributes of the system. The specific goals for this process area include:

Perform a Non-functional Product Risk Assessment

Perform Non-functional Test Analysis and Design

Perform Non-functional Test Implementation

The creation of a specificnon-functional test planisnotexplicitly listed as a goal within this process area, although defining a non-functional test approach is addressed. Hence,"Establish a Non-functional Test Plan"(B) isnota specific goal of the Non-functional Testing process area​​.

Peer ReviewsisNOTaTMMi Level 2process area. Peer Reviews is a process area atTMMi Level 3. At Level 3, organizations formalize their testing processes, including peer reviews, which involve static testing activities like inspections and walkthroughs to identify defects early.

Test Policy and Strategy,Test Monitoring and Control, andTest Environmentare all process areas atTMMi Level 2.

TMMi References:

Peer Reviews are introduced atTMMi Level 3, whereasTest Policy and Strategy,Test Monitoring and Control, andTest Environmentare process areas at Level 2​​.

Required componentsdescribe what an organizationmustcomply with to satisfy a process area in the TMMi model. These components includespecific goalsandgeneric goals, and they form the basis for determining whether a process area has been successfully implemented during assessments.Expected componentsprovide guidance on how to achieve the required goals, but they are not mandatory.

TMMi References:

TMMi definesrequired componentsas those that organizations must achieve to satisfy a process area​​.

The statement thatall defects should be analyzedto prevent as many defects as possible isFALSE. In theDefect Preventionprocess area atTMMi Level 5, only asubset of defects—those that are recurring or considered to be of significant impact—are analyzed. Analyzing all defects would be inefficient and not always necessary. Instead, a targeted approach is used to identifycommon causesof defects and implement actions to prevent their recurrence.

TMMi References:

TheDefect Preventionprocess area is based on the analysis of a subset of defects to find and eliminate common causes​​.

Defect Preventionis aTMMi Level 5process area. This process area focuses on identifying the root causes of defects and implementing preventive measures to avoid their recurrence. At TMMi Level 5, the goal is to optimize processes and move from defect detection to defect prevention.

Advanced ReviewsandTest Measurementare Level 4 process areas, whileOrganizational Innovation and Deploymentis part of CMMI, not TMMi.

TMMi References:

Defect Preventionis a key process area inTMMi Level 5, focusing on continuous process improvement and defect avoidance​​.

In theInitiating phaseof a test improvement cycle, one of the key activities is toCharter Infrastructure. This activity involves setting up the structure needed to support the improvement effort, such as establishing a project board and defining responsibilities. This phase focuses on creating the foundational support for the test improvement initiative.

Regularcode reviewsandarchitectural reviewsare part of theAdvanced Reviewsprocess area, which belongs toTMMi Level 4. This process area emphasizes conducting static reviews (e.g., code and design reviews) early in the lifecycle to measure product quality and adjust the testing strategy based on the insights gained from these reviews.

TMMi References:

TheAdvanced Reviewsprocess area in TMMi Level 4 aims to ensure that static testing activities such as code and architectural reviews are used to measure product quality early in the lifecycle​​.