Purpose of This Book

This book is an extension of the CMMI Framework,^[1] which generated the full set of CMMI models released by the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) in January 2002. To use a CMMI model released by the SEI, you must choose from among the multiple models available based on your improvement needs. Therefore, to use the CMMI models published by the SEI, you need to know the content of each model and the area that you want to improve.

^[1] The CMMI Framework is the basic structure that organizes CMMI components and combines them into CMMI models.

Unfortunately for many users, selecting a model from the SEI Web site appears difficult because they must make the up-front decision about which bodies of knowledge they want to address in their organizations and the approach they want to take to their process improvement efforts.

To facilitate CMMI use, this book provides a single source for all CMMI model information a functional equivalent of the CMMI Framework. You do not have to select a particular model to get started all of your choices are compiled here into one book. The book describes what is common across all CMMI models as well as what is different. It describes the basic concepts and the ways processes evolve as your organization improves. It will help you to understand the content of each CMMI model and to decide how CMMI can best address your needs.