Rating: 
Summary: this book is for the authors not for users
Review: . . .Why? Rehash of process improvement. That belongs in a PI book. Folks reading about CMMI know PI and should know CMM -- they need to know how to move to CMMI. Work of the CMMI Project. Who needs the history of CMMI? These folks may want to rehash the past but we need how to do cmmi for the future. Authors guidance. Are these the top experts you should listen to? You can get better info from SPC or by reading the various SEI web documents. Everyone know how to choose a model. The only model rational folks will use is the continuous in spite of the SEI preference for staged. Tailoring the cmmi might be useful *IF* any of teh assessors would allow it. Too many CMM assessors demanded you do the whole nine yards or you wouldn't pass. Will the cmmi assessors be more realistic? Thoughts on the future. Totally irrelevant. This may stroke the authors egos but we do not need this This book should have concentrated on how to do a continuous cmmi level 3,4,5 from a cmm level 3 (4,5) and left out all the padding. Download the CMMI from SEI and read the other documents there. Then wait for a good book on doing cmmi to come out. . .
Rating:
Summary: GREAT overview-awful editing & proofreading
Review: As previous reviewers have commented, this is a very good overview of the CMMI. The authors work in the industry, and have done an admirable job presenting the nuts-and-bolts of this enormous topic in a straightforward fashion. But if you intend to use it as a tool, like you would Paulk's book on the SW-CMM (SM), DON'T BUY IT YET. The editing in Appendix B renders this book useless to me (I need it as a tool). When I compare the constituents of the Process Areas in Appendix B to the CMMI (CMU/SEI-2000-TR-018), there is erroneous duplication. E.g., "Commitment" in PMC reads exactly like "Commitment" in Requirements Management PA (it shouldn't !). Ditto for Co in SAM, Co in MA, and the subsequent Maturity Level 2 Process Area commitments. The same erroneous cut-and-paste was made for the Abilities, DI, etc. The Level 3 PAs have the similar problem, erroneous cut-and-pastes from the RD template. I cannot use this book as I'd intended because of these errors, so I have to lug around the large heavy SEI tech reports instead.
Rating: 
Summary: A summary of CMMI, not a practical introduction
Review: I bought the book thinking it would be a practical introduction on how to apply CMMI to your company hence I was very disappointed to find out the authors have limited themselves only to summarize the CMMI models. Few real explication is given about concepts within the CMMI models, neither any real life experience is shared that could help you implement CMMI.
Rating: 
Summary: Second Edition better than First Edition
Review: I first read version one last year and after SEI intro class I have been giving several copies to team members at work. This second edition bring the book upto level with 1.1. Guess I'll have give away my first edition. This by far the best book for both someone just looking for an overview on CMMI. I use the book every day on the job and have found no better book to explain the CMM process to project managers.
Rating:
Summary: Second Edition better than First Edition
Review: I first read version one last year and after SEI intro class I have been giving several copies to team members at work. This second edition bring the book upto level with 1.1. Guess I'll have give away my first edition. This by far the best book for both someone just looking for an overview on CMMI. I use the book every day on the job and have found no better book to explain the CMM process to project managers.
Rating:
Summary: Great book, clear and concise
Review: The CMMI project is an exciting one that will pay enormous dividends once fully implemented in 2003. This book has been especially helpful in giving a clear, fresh understanding of the CMMI Project, its goals, architecture, and models. Especially valuable are the new sets of tools developed by the CMMI project along with the sections on how to use those tools to the best advantage. Here is where the book really shines: sound, clear advice based on the experience of organizations and software engineering professionals, passed on to the reader in readable language. The authors distill all this into a manageable 335 pages, filled with pithy examples, engineering humor, even poetry. Most importantly, it is as jargon-free as a book of its nature can be, written in clear, direct prose that will be appreciated by those who are trying to wrap their hands around the evolving CMMI enterprise. Highly recommended. The kind of book even your boss can read and understand.
Rating:
Summary: Great book, clear and concise
Review: The CMMI project is an exciting one that will pay enormous dividends once fully implemented in 2003. This book has been especially helpful in giving a clear, fresh understanding of the CMMI Project, its goals, architecture, and models. Especially valuable are the new sets of tools developed by the CMMI project along with the sections on how to use those tools to the best advantage. Here is where the book really shines: sound, clear advice based on the experience of organizations and software engineering professionals, passed on to the reader in readable language. The authors distill all this into a manageable 335 pages, filled with pithy examples, engineering humor, even poetry. Most importantly, it is as jargon-free as a book of its nature can be, written in clear, direct prose that will be appreciated by those who are trying to wrap their hands around the evolving CMMI enterprise. Highly recommended. The kind of book even your boss can read and understand.
Rating:
Summary: Not perfect, but helpful
Review: There is certainly a need for secondary literature to describe a complex standard such as the CMMI. This book does a reasonable job to accomplish this. As it has been stated there are certainly weaknesses. For example the ratio between actual content and number of pages is in some areas pretty bad. One citation an the start of a chapter is nice, two is an over load. In order to gain a fair understanding of the CMMI standard is not sufficient and neither is this book. However, "CMMI Distilled" gets you a step closer.
Rating:
Summary: Succinct description of the CMMI's current state
Review: This book will give you a jump on the integrated capability maturity model (CMMI) that is expected to be fully implemented in the Fall of 2003. This integrated model is based on the current CMM versions for software, integrated product development and systems engineering. Because the CMMI is still evolving there will be inevitable changes between information and details in this book and the final version. This book's organization and the clear descriptions of the existing source models from which the CMMI is derived will arm you with enough information to either plan a transition to the CMMI or evaluate the model as an implementation goal. The book starts with the rationale for the CMMI and a good description of how the source models integrate. This is followed by five chapters that dissect the CMMI. Areas covered include conceptual, structural and process area points of view. I especially liked Chapter 5, CMMI Representations, because it gives the clearest description of staged and continuous models. This is augmented in Chapter 9 by an excellent comparison of these two models, which discusses reasons for liking each model and for choosing one representation model over the other. There is also important material on assessments and how the CMMI is evolving that make this book important. If your company is currently using the CMM or considering it this book distills a great deal of SEI documentation into 335 pages and does a good job of describing the CMMI and summarizing the issues. While you will still have to keep up with the CMMI as it evolves, this book will get you quickly up to speed.
Rating:
Summary: Succinct description of the CMMI's current state
Review: This book will give you a jump on the integrated capability maturity model (CMMI) that is expected to be fully implemented in the Fall of 2003. This integrated model is based on the current CMM versions for software, integrated product development and systems engineering. Because the CMMI is still evolving there will be inevitable changes between information and details in this book and the final version. This book's organization and the clear descriptions of the existing source models from which the CMMI is derived will arm you with enough information to either plan a transition to the CMMI or evaluate the model as an implementation goal. The book starts with the rationale for the CMMI and a good description of how the source models integrate. This is followed by five chapters that dissect the CMMI. Areas covered include conceptual, structural and process area points of view. I especially liked Chapter 5, CMMI Representations, because it gives the clearest description of staged and continuous models. This is augmented in Chapter 9 by an excellent comparison of these two models, which discusses reasons for liking each model and for choosing one representation model over the other. There is also important material on assessments and how the CMMI is evolving that make this book important. If your company is currently using the CMM or considering it this book distills a great deal of SEI documentation into 335 pages and does a good job of describing the CMMI and summarizing the issues. While you will still have to keep up with the CMMI as it evolves, this book will get you quickly up to speed.
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