CMMII Distilled: A Practical Introduction to Integrated Process Improvement

CMMI® (Capability Maturity Model® Integration) is an integrated, extensible framework for improving process capability and quality across an organization. It has become a cornerstone in the implementation of continuous improvement for both industry and governments around the world. Rich in both detail and guidance for a wide set of organizational domains, the CMMI Product Suite continues to evolve and expand. Updated for CMMI Version 1.2, this third edition of CMMI® Distilled again provides a concise and readable introduction to the model, as well as straightforward, no-nonsense information on integrated, continuous process improvement. The book now also includes practical advice on how to use CMMI in tandem with other approaches, including Six Sigma and Lean, as well as new and expanded guidance on preparing for, managing, and using appraisals. Written so that readers unfamiliar with model-based process improvement will understand how to get started with CMMI, the book offers insights for those more experienced as well. It can help battle-scarred process improvement veterans, and experienced suppliers and acquirers of both systems and services, perform more effectively. CMMI® Distilled is especially appropriate for executives and managers who need to understand why continuous improvement is valuable, why CMMI is a tool of choice, and how to maximize the return on their efforts and investments. Engineers of all kinds (systems, hardware, software, and quality, as well as acquisition personnel and service providers) will find ideas on how to perform better. The three authors, all involved with CMMI since its inception, bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to this book. They highlight the pitfalls and shortcuts that are all too often learned by costly experience, and they provide a context for understanding why the use of CMMI continues to grow around the world.

Table of Contents:
List of Figures  ix Preface  xi Part I. Integrated Process Improvement 3 Chapter 1: Why Integrated Process Improvement?  5 1.1 Business Objectives and Process Improvement 8 1.2 The Engineering Environment of the Twenty-First Century 12 1.3 Evolving Engineering Approaches 14 1.4 A Proliferation of Models and Standards 16 1.5 The Benefits of Integrated Process Improvement   17 1.6 Conclusions  19 Chapter 2: Implementing Continuous Improvement  21 2.1 Driving Business Performance  22 2.2 Elements of Continuous Improvement  25 2.3 Five Keys for Continuous Improvement 32 2.4 Management of Continuous Improvement Activities 43 2.5 Everyone Understands and Participates  45 2.6 Pearls of Wisdom 47 Part II. The CMMI Models  51 Chapter 3: The CMMI Concept  53 3.1 An Overview of CMMI  54 3.2 CMMI Objectives  57 3.3 The Three Source Models  60 3.4 CMMI Project Organization  65 Chapter 4: CMMI Content  69 4.1 Constellations  70 4.2 Process Areas 70 4.3 Content Classification  71 4.4 Required Materials 72 4.5 Expected Materials  74 4.6 Informative Materials 76 4.7 Additions  80 4.8 CMMI Model Foundation 80 4.9 Document Map 81 Chapter 5: CMMI Representations  83 5.1 Staged Models 84 5.2 Continuous Models  85 5.3 CMMI Model Representations 87 5.4 Conclusion 96 Chapter 6: CMMI Dimensions for Measuring Improvement  97 6.1 Capability Dimension  98 6.2 Maturity Dimension  103 6.3 Generic Practices in the Capability Dimension  104 6.4 Generic Practices in the Maturity Dimension  112 6.5 Organizational Capability Evolution 112 Chapter 7: CMMI Process Areas  115 7.1 Foundation Process Areas  119 7.2 Development Constellation  143 7.3 Acquisition Constellation Process Areas 153 7.4 Services Constellation Process Areas 160 7.5 Relationships within CMMI Components  167 Part III. Using CMMI  173 Chapter 8: Picking a Representation  175 8.1 Reasons for Liking Staged Models 176 8.2 Reasons for Liking Continuous Models 178 8.3 Reasons for Choosing a CMMI Representation 180 Chapter 9: Appraisals with CMMI 183 9.1 Appraisal Requirements for CMMI 184 9.2 Standard CMMI Appraisal Method for Process Improvement: Class A  188 9.3 The Role of Appraisals in Continuous Improvement 193 Part IV. The Future of CMMI  197 Chapter 10: Evolving CMMI  199 10.1 Simplifying the Model  200 10.2 A Domain-Independent CMMI Model 201 10.3 Collection of Issues for Beyond Version 2.1  203 10.4 A Final Note on CMMI Evolution  207 Afterword 209 Three Selections from “A Process Improvement Songbook”  211 Appendix A. Summary of CMMI Models 213 Appendix B. References  243 SEI Figure Credit List 249 Index 251    

About the Author :
Dennis M. Ahern is an advisory engineer at Northrop Grumman Corporation. Previously, he taught at Yale University and the University of Maryland. He was the deputy project manager of the CMMI Development Team, a co-leader of the CMMI Editor Team, and an author of CMMI. He is also a coauthor of CMMI® SCAMPI Distilled (Addison-Wesley, 2005). Aaron Clouse is a senior member of the technical staff at the Software Engineering Institute (SEI). He recently retired from Raytheon Company, where he worked on process improvement programs for more than seventeen years. He has a background in electronic engineering and systems engineering in digital signal processing systems. He was a member of the CMMI Product Team and is an author of CMMI. Richard Turner, a distinguished service professor in the Stevens Institute School of Systems and Enterprises and a visiting scientist at the SEI, has worked in industry, government, and academia to improve the development and acquisition of software-intensive systems. A member of the original CMMI development team, he has coauthored Balancing Agility and Discipline with Barry Boehm (Addison-Wesley, 2004) and CMMI® Survival Guide with Suzanne Garcia (Addison-Wesley, 2007).