How to Read This Book

We have tried to write this book for the widest audience possible that is, for the experienced process improvement practitioner, the inexperienced practitioner, the CMMI expert, and the CMMI novice. This book is divided into three sections. Section I includes this chapter, up to and including Chapter 8. Chapter 1 introduces the reader to the purpose of this book and answers some questions in very general terms as to why to use the CMMI and how to use it. Chapters 2 through 8 discuss the structure of the CMMI and its process areas. Section II includes Chapters 9 through 20. Chapters 9 through 20 go more into the process improvement area and offer some of our suggestions and hints on how to apply the concepts proposed in the CMMI to your organization. These chapters often display tables, templates, and charts that may prove applicable in your improvement efforts. Section III of the book comprises the appendices. These appendices contain interesting bits of information and brief, summarized discussion points that were further explained in the preceding chapters. So, readers new to the CMMI should first concentrate on Chapters 2 through 8. The CMMI "expert" may wish to skip Chapters 2 through 8. The reader seeking help in process improvement techniques (whether using the CMMI or not) should focus on Chapters 9 through 20. And those of you who only want to skim through this book may find that the appendices are all you wish to read. However, we do caution those of you who skip to the appendices; most of the information contained in the appendices is only really understood after reading the entire book. Of course, everyone should read Chapter 1. If you have gotten this far, you are doing great. Give yourself a star. We thank you for buying this book. If you did not buy the book, but just borrowed it, we are happy about that too. At least you are reading something we sweated over. We hope you like it.