Praise for Integrating CMMI® and Agile Development

“When Alistair Cockburn gave the keynote for our Software Engineering Process Conference in San Jose, I knew that the issues that had separated CMMI and Agile were far more about perceptions than about principled development. This book fills a critical need in bridging two communities that share a common purpose–producing high-quality software systems that excite the customer and win repeat business opportunities.”

–Mike Phillips, CMMI Project Manager, Software Engineering Institute; coauthor, CMMI®-ACQ: Guidelines for Improving the Acquisition of Products and Services

“The client cases Paul describes are easily relatable and can be extrapolated to many organizations. He spends most of his efforts in these cases on the basics that are common to CMMI and Agile. In particular, he dutifully applies Lean principles and practices to empower Agile practices and facilitate CMMI practices. . . . Chapter 9 is the book’s best stuff–not because it’s about golf, but because this is the point at which you get answers to your key question: What’s in it for me?”

–Hillel Glazer, Principal and CEO, Entinex, Inc.; Certified High Maturity SCAMPI Lead Appraiser; CMMI Instructor

“This book will measurably improve how systems and software systems are developed.”

–Bob Epps, Program Management Senior Manager, Lockheed Martin Corporate Engineering and Technology

“Having experience with both CMMI and Agile, I find this book very insightful. I keep taking notes. I think it is a great aid to anyone who has been through the process.”

–Jim Convery, Director, Alion Science & Technology Corp., BMH Advanced Modeling & Simulation Technology Operation, a CMMI Maturity Level 3 Organization

“I consider the discussion of model-based improvement in the early chapters of this book to be one of the best I have seen. Paul has great insight into effective software process improvement and is articulate in describing both the issues and ways in which they should be considered.”

–Dr. Mark Paulk, Senior Systems Scientist, Institute for Software Research, Carnegie Mellon University; Development Lead, Software Capability Maturity Model (CMM for Software)

“This is a good topic presented with lots of practical points, helpful summaries, and interesting case studies. The idea of ‘Doorway Risk Management’ in Chapter 4 is great!”

–John Troy, Program Manager, Rockwell Collins, Inc.

“I found several really nice nuggets throughout the book (lessons, cautions, insights, etc.). I also liked the summary sections at the end of each chapter and the extensive use of case studies. Finally, I discovered some real gems in the Epilogue, which provides a very nice conclusion for the book.”

–Kyle Gabhart, Director of Emerging Technologies, Web Age Solutions; coauthor, Service Oriented Architecture: A Field Guide for Executives

“This book will be a great help to a variety of organizations figuring out how best to implement CMMI, including large and small enterprises, even if their starting point is not ‘Agile.' All-in-all, this contains ‘pearls of wisdom' that will make a much-appreciated contribution to the software engineering community.”

– Mike Konrad, Chief Architect, CMMI, Software Engineering Institute; coauthor, CMMI®: Guidelines for Process Integration and Product Improvement, Second Edition

“This book will challenge many of your (mis)understandings about both Agile delivery and CMMI. Paul thoughtfully applies his years of practical experience to help bridge two disparate communities who are working towards the same goal–improving an organization's IT productivity. It's about time someone wrote a book like this.”

– Scott W. Ambler, Chief Methodologist for Agile and Lean, IBM Rational; author, Agile Modeling; and coauthor, Enterprise Unified Process

Many organizations that have improved process maturity through Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI®) now also want greater agility. Conversely, many organizations that are succeeding with Agile methods now want the benefits of more mature processes. The solution is to integrate CMMI and Agile. Integrating CMMI® and Agile Development offers broad guidance for melding these process improvement methodologies. It presents six detailed case studies, along with essential real-world lessons, big-picture insights, and mistakes to avoid.

Drawing on decades of process improvement experience, author Paul McMahon explains how combining an Agile approach with the CMMI process improvement framework is the fastest, most effective way to achieve your business objectives. He offers practical, proven techniques for CMMI and Agile integration, including new ways to extend Agile into system engineering and project management and to optimize performance by focusing on your organization's unique, culture-related weaknesses.