The problem is that the intent of the CMM has been lost in the implementation. The CMM was designed to help organizations improve their software development capabilities and was not intended as some type of awards program or measuring stick. For the same reason, the processes created as part of the PIP are assumed to be valid as well. A software PIP does not come without a cost. Conversely, if the goal of the PIP is merely to achieve a good SCE rating, the cost of the program is unnecessary overhead and will detract from the overall quality of the software.
Workers are highly sensitive to perturbations that directly affect their work environment.
Therefore, a PIP must be a planned activity that involves the entire organization. PIP leaders and the rest of the organization can only bring about effective process improvement through open communication and diligent training. Otherwise, both apathy and cynicism will create an environment in which a positive ROI can never be realized. Furthermore, when software personnel are introduced to the CMM, the merits of the model become self evident. The bottom line is that many PIP activities succeed or fail based on the level of buy-in from the people involved.