Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) Practice Exam 2025 – All-in-One Guide to Mastering Your Certification!

Phase 3 of the Capability Maturity Model (CMM) is referred to as the "Defined" phase. This phase is significant because it marks a transition in how an organization's processes are understood and managed. At this level of maturity, processes are documented, standardized, and integrated into a coherent system across the organization. This ensures that everyone understands the processes and that they are followed consistently.

In the Defined phase, there is a focus on defining processes clearly and creating a common understanding among the personnel involved. The organization starts to implement structured approaches to process improvement, ensuring that practices are not just ad-hoc or reactive. This lays the groundwork for moving toward the higher levels of maturity, where continuous improvement and optimization become possible.

The other phases of the CMM reflect different states of process maturity, from "Initial" where processes are unpredictable, to "Optimizing" which focuses on continual process improvement and innovation. The Defined phase is crucial because it establishes a formal approach, which is a prerequisite for achieving higher maturity levels.