Today, we will have a look at Measurement & Analysis process area. It is a new addition in CMMI
The objective of this PA is to develop and sustain a measurement capability that is used to support project and management information needs.
It involves specifying the objectives of measurement and analysis such that they are aligned with the identified information needs and objectives. (Ex: Size, Effort, Schedule, etc)
Then the data collection and storage mechanism are identified. (Ex: DART, MPP, etc)
Implementing the collection, storage, analysis and reporting of data (Ex: Milestones, Status reports)
Providing objective results that can be used in making informed decisions (Ex: actions that come of out milestone analysis)
The goals for this PA are:
(1) Align measurement and analysis activities
(2) Provide measurement results
The goals translate into - Identifying proper measurements and then collecting the same. The next step is to analyze the collected data to take decisions as necessary. By having this PA at Level 2, CMMI reinforces the fact that measurement and project management of data is very critical to project success.
What data need to be collected depends on project objectives. Apart from the basic measures - Size, Effort, etc the projects can decide critical data requirements and collect them.
Please refer to Measurement and Analysis Procedure. This is a comprehensive document from QSD that talks about kinds of data and metrics for different types of projects