While implementing the CMMI at Maturity Levels 2 and 3 usually contributes to some level of improved performance, successfully implementing Maturity Level 5 enables an organization to begin to truly optimize their performance. This distinction is even more noteworthy when an organization is able to successfully mature rapidly. A division of a large international systems integration company reached this pinnacle in October 2005 having successfully reached Maturity Level 5 after achieving Maturity Level 3 just twelve months earlier. Though this speedy rise cannot be accomplished by every organization, there are certain attributes, practices, and lessons learned that can be applied to help manage change, improve processes, and rapidly transform performance.
