TABLE OF CONTENTS The previous chapter presented several of the most prominent process improvement frameworks. In this chapter, we provide an overview of ISO 9001:2000 [1] and the CMMI [2, 3] using the framework definition given in Chapter 3. ISO 9001:2000 and the CMMI v1.02 were issued at the end of 2000. CMMI v1.1 was issued in December 2001. These two frameworks, individually and together, provide a comprehensive basis for process improvement.
ISO 9001:2000 outlines five areas that have to be considered for organizations to be successful in (1) defining processes for developing products, (2) satisfying customer requirements, and (3) keeping those processes under control. The CMMI describes the steps an organization has to take to advance its systems and software engineering processes from an initial maturity level to a managed and eventually quantitatively managed level. When the two frameworks are considered simultaneously, the CMMI provides a model for the essential practices necessary for the successful implementation of the five ISO areas and, in turn, the processes that convert customer requirements into products and services. The synergy between ISO 9001:2000 and the CMMI will be further explored in Chapter 5.
In December 2000, a revised version of the ISO 9000 standard was issued after several years of worldwide rewrites, ballots, and approvals. This new and long awaited standard brought many changes to the old warhorse, ISO 9000:1994, including the withdrawal of ISO 9002 and ISO 9003. The new ISO family of standards forms a "coherent set of quality management system...
