CMMI Distilled: A Practical Introduction to Integrated Process Improvement, 2/e

Capability Maturity Model IntegrationSM (CMMI) has rapidly become a preferred means of improving organizational processes in industry and government. Building on a decade of work with process improvement models, including the Capability Maturity Model® (CMM®) for Software and the Systems Engineering Capability Model, a team of over two hundred engineering and process improvement experts worked for three years to create this broader, more agile instrument for guiding, integrating, and appraising improvement activities. CMMI provides a single, integrated framework for improving processes throughout an organization, enhancing the quality and efficiency of the organization as a whole.

The CMMI Product Suite is rich in detail and guidance, but correspondingly large and somewhat complex. The sheer volume of information it presents can seem overwhelming. CMMI Distilled reduced that complexity with a fresh and approachable introduction to the key elements of CMMI and integrated process improvement.

This new edition of CMMI Distilled, updated for CMMI version 1.1, includes more material in layman's language to meet a wider variety of reader's needs, but has not lost any of the technical content that made the first edition so successful. Written for those new to model-based process improvement, it also offers insights that can help even battle-scarred process improvement veterans and experienced systems, software and quality engineers perform better. CMMI® Distilled, Second Edition is especially appropriate for executives and managers who need to understand why process improvement is valuable, why CMMI is a tool of choice, and how to maximize the return on their efforts and investments.

The three authors have been involved with CMMI since its inception, and they bring a wealth of their own experience and knowledge to this book. They highlight the pitfalls and short cuts that are all too often learned by costly experience. Above all, they provide a context for understanding why CMMI is the fastest growing process improvement framework in the world.

Table of Contents

Figure List.

Preface.

I. INTEGRATED PROCESS IMPROVEMENT.

1. Why Integrated Process Improvement?

The Engineering Environment of the Twenty-First Century.

Concurrent Engineering and the Cross-Discipline Team.

A Proliferation of Models and Standards.

The Benefits of Integrated Process Improvement.

Conclusions.

2. Implementing Integrated Process Improvement.

Starting Integrated Process Improvement.

Building an Integrated Improvement Infrastructure.

Integrating Legacy Processes and Initiatives.

Using Assessments.

Integrated Process Improvement Examples.

II. THE CMMI MODELS.

3. The CMMI Concept.

CMMI Project Organization.

CMMI Objectives.

The Three Source Models.

Process Areas.

An Extensible Framework.

4. CMMI Content.

Content Classification.

Required Materials.

Expected Materials.

Informative Materials.

Document Map.

5. CMMI Representations.

Staged Models.

Continuous Models.

CMMI Model Representations.

6. CMMI Dimensions for Measuring Improvement.

Capability Dimension.

Maturity Dimension.

Generic Practices in the Capability Dimension.

Generic Practices in the Maturity Dimension.

Organizational Capability Evolution.

7. CMMI Process Areas.

Process Management Process Areas.

Project Management Process Areas.

Engineering Process Areas.

Support Process Areas.

Integrated Product and Process Development Process Areas.

Acquisition Process Areas.

Relationships with CMMI Components.

III. USING CMMI.

8. Selecting the Appropriate Disciplines.

The Discipline Dilemma.

Your Situation.

The IPPD Extension.

The Acquisition Extension.

Selecting the Appropriate Model.

9. Picking a Representation.

Reasons for Liking Staged Models.

Reasons for Liking Continuous Models.

Reasons for Choosing a CMMI Representation.

10. Appraisals with CMMI.

Assessment Requirements for CMMI.

Standard CMMI Assessment Method for Process Improvement.

Using Assessments in Process Improvement.

Making a CMMI Model Your Own (Tailoring).

IV. THE FUTURE OF CMMI.

11. Evolving CMMI.

Single Versus Dual Representations.

Collection of Issues for Version 1.1 and Beyond.

Afterword.

The Charge of the CMMI Product Team.

Appendix A. Summary of CMMI-SE/SW/IPPD Models: Summary of Continuous Representation.

Appendix B. Summary of CMMISE/SW/IPPD Models: Summary of Staged Representation.

Appendix C. References.

Appendix D. Resources.

The Maven.

Index.