The Capability Maturity Model (CMM) is a framework for evaluating and improving the software development process of an organization. It consists of five levels of process maturity from initial/ad hoc processes to optimized processes. The CMM defines key process areas for each level that guide improvements. The Software CMM (SW-CMM) assesses an organization's software engineering process and aims to improve quality, schedules, and costs by advancing through the five levels of maturity.