Introductory CMMI Training - “The Times – they are a Changin'…”

Introductory CMMI training is about to undergo a shake up that will significantly simplify the training options and reduce some of the confusion that has been rife in recent years.

Currently, at the time of writing, there are two introductory training paths available to people wishing to learn about CMMI, and each path leads to a separate certification both of which can currently be used as a necessary pre-requisite for certain CMMI activities (such as participation on an appraisal team).  Previous blog posts have outlined the options to try to help students pick the path that best suits them (see https://www.casmarantraining.com/post/cmmi-training-which-course-should-i-choose).

However, the issue has caused confusion and the matter has not been helped by the fact that there is no ready migration path between the two current certifications which has led to problems for some students. For example, the current two-day Foundations Course which leads to the CMMI Associate certification also demands that the student take a ‘top-up’ “Building Excellence” course to serve on an appraisal team looking at either the Development or Services domains.

However, there is no top-up course to cover a student wishing to serve on an appraisal looking at any of the other 6 domains. If any of these other domains are added to the appraisal scope, then even fully certified CMMI Associates are forced to go back and take the 4-day Building Organizational Capability (BOC) course and sit the CMMI Practitioner exam before they can join the appraisal team.

Similarly, anyone wanting to take advanced CMMI training must also have the CMMI Practitioner certification, as the Associate certification is no longer accepted as a valid prerequisite for advanced CMMI training.

Understandably, this has led to confusion and students inadvertently signing up to courses that do not meet their specific needs. From April however, the introductory CMMI training market is about to become a lot simpler.

Firstly, the older ‘CMMI Associate' certification and the associated courses are to be retired. This means that after April, the following courses will be phased out and will no longer be available after around May 2026:

-          Foundations of Capability

-          Building Development Excellence

-          Building Service Excellence

Currently, the BOC is scheduled as a 4-day class. There has been some drive to reduce the length of this course and so work has been ongoing within the CMMI Institute to shorten the BOC class and make it 3 days instead of 4. The model coverage of the 3-day BOC is identical to the 4-day BOC but there are fewer mandatory activities, and the content has been streamlined.

So again, from May 2026, the 4-day course material will be retired and replaced by 3 day class materials and this will then form the single basic introductory CMMI training class.

For our public training classes, we shall obviously be moving over to the revised 3-day materials as required, however experience from public training courses and specific student feedback suggests that most students, especially those with little or no prior knowledge about CMMI, appreciate a little extra time to discuss and explore CMMI concepts, so we plan to continue to offer most of our BOC courses over 4 days, to provide a more relaxed pace for people to fully absorb the material, discuss the concepts and share experiences. We will also be providing the new standard 3-day offerings for people who are comfortable with the quicker pace.

However, regardless of whether you choose to follow a 3- or 4-day class, the core content will be identical and both will lead to the same certification exam. Details of our current and future training schedule can be found at https://www.casmarantraining.com/

We also offer private course options for organization’s wishing to train 4 or more people at the same time and as well as our standard virtual on-line delivery we are also happy to discuss on-site, in-person training. For more information or to discuss your needs, please contact us https://www.casmarantraining.com/contact