Are CMMI Appraisals really too expensive?
I love a good game of “bunchball.”
You’ve seen it: a dozen little Pelés chasing the soccer ball down the field, every one of them trying to score the goal that wins the game. Eventually, one fast kid breaks away, gets a clean shot, and—yippee!—saves the day with the only goal scored. The team wins.
Fun to watch? Absolutely. Championship-level play? Not quite.
Meanwhile, there’s always one kid who hangs back—playing defense, watching the field, covering the goal. Not chasing glory, just playing their role. That kid isn’t flashy, but they’re going places. Why? Because they’re playing the game, not just the moment.
Sound Familiar?
At recent CMMI events, there’s been growing concern that CMMI appraisals are too expensive. Attendees talk about thousands of hours spent preparing, assembling documents, and scrambling to “get ready.” The cost, some argue, far exceeds the benefit.
If that’s really true—yes, we should be concerned.
But it raises an important question: Are these organizations truly operating at the level they’re trying to appraise? Or are they just playing a high-stakes version of bunchball?
Visualizing the Problem
Anyone who knows me knows I love whiteboards. I’m a visual thinker, and I often sketch out problems to get clarity. One of my favorite drawings is a (very rough) cliff scene with two sets of stick figures:
One group is clawing their way up the cliff, fingernails barely holding on, shouting:
“Whooo hoooo! We MADE Level Three!”The other group is already on top of the cliff, lifting barbells, stretching, and quietly saying:
“We ARE Level Three.”
Now tell me—which appraisal was “too expensive”?
It’s Cheaper to Be Great
Here’s the reality: appraisals only feel expensive when organizations aren’t truly performing at the level they’re aiming for.
If your team is spending months digging up “evidence,” assembling PIIDs, and creating artifacts from scratch just to meet the requirements—you’re not appraisal-ready. Not yet.
That doesn’t mean you’re not doing great work. It just means you haven’t built a systemic approach yet. You’re still chasing the ball around the field.
The Championship Analogy
Let’s imagine a school principal tells a youth soccer coach:
“You must win the league championship before the end of fiscal year 2014.”
The coach might:
Hire consultants to teach a few winning techniques from last year
Bring in “ringers” to fill key roles like goalie
Assign consultants to shadow players and correct every mistake
Lobby the league for friendly referees
Sure, they might win a few games. But when the season ends, they’re still just a bunchball team.
Now imagine a wiser coach replies:
“We’re not ready to win the championship yet, but we can have a winning season.”
And then that coach:
Trains and practices regularly
Teaches kids to play their positions and work as a unit
Brings in experts to build skills, not just win trophies
Puts players in roles suited to their strengths
Gets honest, unbiased feedback from referees
That’s how real champions are built. And it’s the same with organizations pursuing CMMI maturity.
Appraisals Aren’t the Problem—Readiness Is
CMMI is a global benchmark of excellence. If we want appraisals to mean something, they should be challenging. But they don’t have to be expensive.
If an organization is already operating at Maturity Level 2 or 3, proving it shouldn’t be painful. The cost of the appraisal is reasonable, because the behaviors are already present.
If you’re not quite there yet? Trying to appear ready can cost a fortune—and might still fall short.
“But What About All the Paperwork?”
Good question. Someone at a recent conference asked:
“Don’t document inventories take a huge amount of time?”
They can—but they shouldn’t.
In a well-run ML2 or ML3 organization, work products are well-managed. Strong Configuration and Data Management practices mean artifacts are easy to locate and demonstrate. There’s no need to compile huge inventories from scratch—because the data already exists in good order.
That means fewer headaches. Lower prep time. Lower cost.
The Bottom Line
CMMI appraisals are only expensive when you’re faking it. Not because the model is broken, but because the team isn’t ready.
It’s cheaper to be great than it is to fake it.
Focus on building capability. Develop your team. Play your positions. When you're truly performing at a high level, appraisals become proof—not a burden.
Feel free to leave me a question here or email me at AskMe@broadswordsolutions.com.
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