This is the Safari online edition of the printed book.

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.

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 13 Ratings

Read it with a manager's mindset - 2006-05-19
Reviewer Rating:
CMMI is an acronym for Capability Maturity Model Integration, and is almost totally an area of management. Therefore, if you read this book with a mindset that is anything other than that of a manager, it will bore you and you may question the practicality of CMMI. When I say this, I am thinking of software developers, who will most likely consider some of what they read to be impediments to the true ways in which software is created.
As a set of objectives designed to improve quality, the basic tenets and activities mandated by the CMMI model are applicable to many other areas of business and organizations. This book is written for people unfamiliar with model-based processes and is non-technical, so very little is needed in the way of background knowledge. It is very appropriate for the manager who is considering adopting a CMMI model. Not only does it provide the essential background information, but also explains how to begin and execute the implementation of CMMI.
Like all other processes designed to improve quality, the most essential precondition is the desire to improve. No book can provide that ingredient. However, this one provides the essential knowledge about CMMI and I strongly recommend that all managers read it carefully. Even if your decision is to not implement CMMI, the knowledge that you will obtain will force you to rethink your current strategies and no doubt improve them.

Introduction - yes, implementation - no - 2005-11-17
Reviewer Rating:
This book is useful to those who are fairly well-versed in CMMI. For me, this is by far the best "reference" material, since it is concise, and it consolidates separate points into a table or a 1-pager with diagrams, making it easier to digest and understand. This is especially so when compared with the thick (700+ pages) big (A4 size) tome official guidebook from SEI. I could easily take Ahern onto the plane / train for quick brush-up on particular process areas. I would recommend this book to those who had already gained some CMMI knowledge, and would need a light handbook for quick reference.

Not for me, I'm afraid - 2006-12-25
Reviewer Rating:
Many words, but not too practical. Definitions are fine, but that could have happened in 50 pages. This book basically consists of bureacratic motherhood. I will now look for a book written by someone who has actually managed a project to see what his book says about practical application of CMMI.

I wish I could remember the name of the author of a book I read several years ago on SEI processes, which provided excellent guidelines for projects. The author was very explicit and provided examples. He also stated in the Foreword that, though the book contained a great deal of excellent and useful information, if you tried to do everything in the book, you would fail. That may have been the most important line he wrote, since it implied that common sense was still the most important ingredient to meaningful process.

Cmmi - distilled - Its Only Rock and Roll ..(BUT I LIKE IT) - 2009-09-10
Reviewer Rating:
This is a good book with CMMI guidelines. readable and useful. Practical and fun examples, i recommend.

Excellent read for an overview of ÇMMI. - 2007-07-15
Reviewer Rating:
This book is easy to read and well organized and provides a great overview of CMMI. A good choice for those wanting to acquire a working knowledge in a short period of time.

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