Section I: Introduction

Chapter List

What Is the CMMI ? ^[1]

CMMI is an acronym (it is not a four-letter word); it stands for Capability Maturity Model Integration. Some people would say that the CMMI is a model with multiple representation while others would describe it as a set of models. But most will agree that the CMMI is a merger of process improvement models for systems engineering, software engineering, integrated product development, and software acquisition.

Some of the goals of the CMMI are to provide a common vocabulary across the set of models and to provide clarification on how these areas interrelate. The integrated model has both a continuous and staged architecture.

Why Did We Write This Book?

In this book we hope to show you some possible benefits of using the CMMI and some possible problems to be overcome when using the CMMI. We try to present a balanced viewpoint.

After using the CMMI with organizations in different parts of the world, we found that the new model is difficult for most people to pick up and use right away. Two of the problems in the CMMI include interpretation and organizational decisions. The model itself was written to cover many different organizational and project situations. An ambiguous style was intentionally chosen by the authors of the CMMI...