Challenges Faced While Simultaneously Implementing CMMI and Scrum: A Case Study in the Tax Preparation Software Industry

Abstract

CMMI certification is a major accomplishment for a software organization, and is often required for an organization to stay competitive. This work is a case study of the challenges faced by a growing tax preparation software company during its attempt to achieve CMMI certification at maturity level two, while simultaneously implementing agile development practices in the form of Scrum. For legal reasons, the company's actual name (and those of its products) is withheld, the company is hereafter referred to by the hypothetical name of The Tax Company, Inc. The Tax Company, Inc. began its journey toward CMMI certification at maturity level two, and becoming an agile software company in late 2008, that journey continues today. A few key challenges are documented here so that other organizations can learn from our company's experiences. As of October 14, 2011, The Tax Company, Inc. passed its SCAMPI 'A' appraisal, and achieved CMMI certification at level two. While CMMI maturity level three may be considered, management has not indicated that this will be pursued in the near future.