This document describes the Appraisal Method (AM) for the Systems Engineering Capability Model (SECM). An appraisal compares an organization's Systems Engineering capabilities against the Specific Practices of the Focus Areas and the Generic Characteristics defined in EIA-731, Part 1

The scope of the Appraisal Method is designed specifically to support continuous process improvement. The Appraisal Method activities are the same basic set used by the SEI CMM-Based Appraisal for Internal Process Improvement (CBA-IPI) method for staged architecture CMMÂ®s. Some differences exist due to the different model architectures.

This document is a process description for the Appraisal Method, not a training manual. Some materials are included that support appraisal training; however, it is not the intent of this document to be a substitute for appraisal training materials.