| After observing and experiencing the difficulties associated with selecting, implementing, and institutionalizing a standard or standards, we have developed a systematic approach to implementing both ISO 9001:2000 and theCMMIÒ by capitalizing on their synergy. This approach also allows organizations to preserve the process improvement investments made while implementing the legacy standards. The approach encompasses cases in which an organization has no previous process improvement experience as well as those cases in which an organization has already been following one or more standards.
This book does not require process improvement experience or knowledge of a specific standard, but such experience or knowledge is helpful. It is written as a guidebook that practitioners can follow when they implement process improvement based simultaneously on ISO and the CMMIÒ. It can be used as a textbook for a process improvement course that addresses the details of practical implementation of the two most prominent process improvement standards and contrasts them with other prominent standards and models. The book, for the first time, describes the synergy between ISO 9001 and the CMMIÒ and the use of that synergy to implement process improvement and get ‘‘faster, better, and cheaper’’ results.
We should stress that the focus of this book is on process improvement, rather than on achieving ISO registration or attaining a CMMIÒ maturity level. It is our conviction that an organization should first and foremost establish its process improvement goals and only then target ISO registration or a CMMIÒ maturity level. We have witnessed many organizations that have achieved registration or a maturity level, only to revert to their old ‘‘business as usual’’ with cost overruns, low product quality, and missed deadlines. |