Level 3 Defined
At TMMi level 3, testing is no longer a phase that follows coding. It is fully integrated into the development lifecycle
and the associated milestones. Test planning is done at an early project stage, e.g. during the requirements phase,
by means of a master test plan. The development of a master test plan builds on the test planning skills and
commitments acquired at TMMi level 2. The organization’s set of standard test processes, which is the basis for
maturity level 3, is established and improved over time. A test organization and a specific test training program
exist, and testing is perceived as being a profession. Test process improvement is fully institutionalized as part of
the test organization. Organizations at this level understand the importance of reviews in quality control; a formal
review program is implemented although not yet fully linked to the dynamic testing process. Reviews take place
across the lifecycle. Test professionals are involved in reviews on requirements specifications. Whereby the test
designs at TMMi level 2 focus mainly on functionality testing, test designs and test techniques are expanded,
depending the business objectives, to also include non-functional testing, e.g. on usability and/or reliability.
Chapter 2 TMMi Maturity Levels
©2009 TMMi Foundation. Version 2.0 Page 12 of 141
A critical distinction between TMMi maturity level 2 and 3 is the scope of the standards, process descriptions, and
procedures. At maturity level 2 these may be quite different in each specific instance, e.g. on a particular project. At
maturity level 3 these are tailored from the organization’s set of standard processes to suit a particular project or
organizational unit and therefore are more consistent except for the differences allowed by the tailoring guidelines.
Another critical distinction is that at maturity level 3, processes are typically described more rigorously than at
maturity level 2. As a consequence at maturity level 3, the organization must revisit the maturity level 2 process
areas.
The process areas at TMMi level 3 are:
3.1 Test Organization
3.2 Test Training Program
3.3 Test Lifecycle and Integration
3.4 Non-Functional Testing
3.5 Peer Reviews