CMMI Distilled was originally conceived as a way to introduce the CMMI Product Suite and model-based continuous process improvement to a wide audience. Our goal was to offer a succinct, no-nonsense, minimal-jargon, wittily written, practical guide that was less than half the weight of the “official” CMMI book. We wanted to describe the origins of the model and give the readers some insight into how the 200-plus CMMI authors worked (and fought) to produce it. The first edition had a good deal of “why” information, aimed at folks who had used one of the three source models and who wanted to understand how CMMI differed from earlier models. Of course, it also had the “what” and “how” information about CMMI Version 1.0.
The second edition coincided (roughly) with the release of CMMI Version 1.1, so it included significant changes to the original “what” and “how” sections. At that point CMMI was no longer new and people were beginning to move away from the source models, so we removed some of the “why” material. To reflect the broader reach of CMMI and the need to support practitioners in acquiring sponsors for their improvement initiatives, the second edition added material aimed at managers rather than practitioners.
CMMI content and usage continue to evolve, so now we have created a third edition, building on the legacy of the first two. CMMI began as a tool for managing improvements in engineering development organizations, with a focus on systems and software. In CMMI Version 1.2, this attention to engineering has been strengthened by including explicit hardware-related information. More intriguing, however, are two new members of the CMMI Product Suite: one for the acquirer of systems instead of the developer, and the other for service providers instead of product builders. With these two additions, the potential scope of application for CMMI within an organizational enterprise has broadened significantly. At the same time, CMMI is finding use outside the traditional engineering field. For example, it has been adopted by enterprises as varied as medical facilities seeking to improve their patient care and government entities trying to build and improve their infrastructure.
We had three primary reasons for writing the third edition of CMMI Distilled.
We wanted to update the book to include changes to the CMMI architecture, content, and presentation, as well as the ongoing domain extensions to the model. The full, updated model content for version 1.2 is covered in the same way as in our previous editions. We use the graphics from the CMMI training material and describe the model components clearly and simply.
We wanted to further reduce the amount of historical information relating to the origins of CMMI. For those who may be interested, this material is well covered in the previous editions of this book.
We wanted to update and expand upon the practical advice we offer for those using the model. In this edition, we more fully address CMMI usage in tandem with Six Sigma, lean engineering, and other continuous improvement approaches. We also discuss some of the changes to the appraisal methods; specifically, we provide additional guidance on preparing for and managing appraisals, and on using the appraisal results as a powerful input to improvement activities.
Those who have read the previous editions of this book will not be surprised to find that we have included yet another literary offering (three songs) addressing CMMI and the world of continuous improvement. In fact, for those of you who may have missed the first two editions, the earlier “literary gems” can be found on the Pearson Web site at informit.com/aw under either “literary gems” or “superfluous material”—for some reason, the editors were still discussing this as of publication.
And so, in recognition of the explosive growth of CMMI as a process improvement tool of choice around the world, and having incorporated the most recent developments in the evolution of the model suite, we are pleased and excited to present this third edition of CMMI Distilled. We hope that it will continue to help our readers understand the CMMI Product Suite and use it wisely for their continuous improvement initiatives.
As always, we couldn’t have put this third edition together without the support, wisdom, and patience of our wonderful wives. Pam, Debbi, and Jo—we still love you the best of all!
Dennis, Aaron, and Rich
April 2008