Improving software processes with CMMI-DEV V2.0 in agile software developing organizations

In today's software industry, the rapid changes in customer requirements compel organizations to remain agile; meanwhile, corporate necessities such as sustainability, quality, and traceability increase the demand for more structured process models. Within this context, the question of how the flexibility provided by agile software development approaches can be combined with the structural integrity offered by capability maturity models such as CMMI-DEV v2.0 constitutes the starting point of this thesis study. The main objective of the study is to develop an integrated approach that contributes to software organizations applying agile methods to conduct more consistent and sustainable processes at the organizational level. Accordingly, agile methods and the CMMI-DEV v2.0 model were initially addressed separately; through a literature review, the fundamental principles, strengths, and limitations of both approaches were analyzed. Subsequently, a hybrid model was proposed that integrates the structured process areas of CMMI-DEV v2.0 into the flexible nature of agile methodologies. To evaluate the sectoral applicability of the model, a survey was conducted with 12 software organizations operating in various sectors in Turkey. Through the survey, organizations' approaches to software development process implementations and perceptions regarding deficiencies in various process areas were analyzed. The findings revealed that although agile methods are effective at the operational level, structured practices remain insufficient in areas such as decision analysis, root cause analysis, process management, and management support. Additionally, awareness of process maturity models was generally observed to be low across the sector. In light of these data, it was concluded that the proposed hybrid approach responds not only theoretically but also practically to an important need. This study aims to contribute both academically and sectorally as one of the rare examples in the Turkish literature combining these two approaches.