As the maturity level increases, the cost per unit of work increases.

The statement is incorrect. A primary goal and documented outcome of increasing process maturity is the reduction of the cost per unit of work. As an organization moves to higher maturity levels (e.g., within the CMMI or TMMi frameworks), its processes become more defined, predictable, and efficient. This leads to a significant decrease in rework, fewer defects escaping to later stages, and better resource management. While there is an upfront investment cost to establish and improve processes, the long-term operational result is a lower overall cost of quality and a reduced cost for each unit of work produced. Immature organizations are characterized by chaotic processes, high levels of rework, and schedule overruns, all of which drive costs up.

This is a TRUE/FALSE question. The statement is false because the foundational principle of process maturity models is that structured, repeatable, and optimized processes lead to greater efficiency and cost savings, not cost increases.

1. Gibson, D. L., Goldenson, D. R., & Kost, K. (2006). Performance Results of CMMI-Based Process Improvement (CMU/SEI-2006-TR-004). Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University.

This technical report from the SEI, the originator of CMMI, provides empirical data from numerous organizations. It consistently shows that as maturity level increases, there are median decreases in project cost. For example, the report summarizes performance results showing a median 34% decrease in cost and a 50% decrease in rework for organizations adopting CMMI (Table 7, page 21). This directly refutes the claim that costs increase.

2. Paulk, M. C., Curtis, B., Chrissis, M. B., & Weber, C. V. (1993). Capability Maturity Model for Software, Version 1.1 (CMU/SEI-93-TR-024). Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University.

The original CMM document establishes the core principles. It states that the purpose of advancing through maturity levels is to gain control over processes to manage cost, schedule, and quality. It describes the initial level as "chaotic," where costs are frequently unpredictable and high due to constant rework. In contrast, higher levels are characterized by stability and efficiency. The document notes that at the Defined Level (Level 3), "the organization has achieved a foundation for major and continuing progress," including cost improvement (Section 2.2, page 2-4).

3. MIT OpenCourseWare. (2010). 16.842 Fundamentals of Systems Engineering, Lecture 18: CMMI. Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

University courseware on systems and software engineering reinforces this concept. Lecture materials on CMMI explicitly list "Decreased costs" as a primary benefit of process improvement. The lecture explains that higher maturity reduces the "cost of non-conformance" (e.g., bug fixing, rework) which is a major expense in less mature organizations. The relationship is presented as an inverse correlation: as maturity goes up, costs go down.