CMMI 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.

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).