Software Maintenance Maturity Model (SM^mm): The software maintenance process model

We address the assessment and improvement of the software maintenance function by proposing a maturity model for daily software maintenance activities: the Software Maintenance Maturity Model (SM^mm). The software maintenance function suffers from a scarcity of management models to facilitate its evaluation, management, and continuous improvement. The SM ^mm addresses the unique activities of software maintenance while preserving a structure similar to that of the Capability Maturity Model integration (CMMi). It is designed to be used as a complement to that model. The SM^mm is based on practitioners' experience, international standards, and the seminal literature on software maintenance. We present the model's purpose, scope, foundation, and architecture, followed by its initial validation.