TABLE OF CONTENTS This chapter provides an overview of Capability Maturity Model Integration, version 1.2 (CMMI v1.2). We discuss the architecture of the model, model components, model representations, and the characteristics of the model's process areas (PAs). Changes from CMMI v1.1 and the effect of those changes on process improvement activities are summarized.
CMMI v1.1 was published by the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) in December 2001 as several 700-page reports and later, in 2003, as a single book. The CMMI framework contains a product suite, which is based on industry best practices and incorporates lessons learned from predecessor models, primarily:
Capability Maturity Model (CMM) for Software, v2.0, draft C (and, unofficially, CMM v1.1)
EIA/IS 731, System Engineering Capability Model (SECM)
Integrated Product Development Model, draft v0.98 (IPD-CMM)
Those best practices are embodied in four bodies of knowledge, or disciplines: systems engineering, software engineering, integrated product and process development, and supplier sourcing. In August 2006, CMMI v1.2 was released, incorporating lessons learned from the use of CMMI v1.1 and making some architectural changes to accommodate future growth.
Many users of CMMI v1.1 wanted to extend the model's systematic approach to process improvement to include acquisition and service delivery. CMMI v1.1, however, did not provide the detailed interpretation of process areas, goals, and practices that is needed to address those specific applications. Several reports were written to provide interpretations (Chrissis et al. 2003; Gallagher and Shrum 2004; Herndon et al. 2003), but users still struggled with model details, especially for...
