CMMI-ACQ: Guidelines for Improving the Acquisition of Products and Services

CMMI-ACQ^® (Capability Maturity Model^® Integration for Acquisition) describes best practices for the successful acquisition of products and services. Providing a practical framework for improving acquisition processes, CMMI-ACQ addresses the growing trend in business and government for organizations to purchase or outsource required products and services as an alternative to in-house development or resource allocation.

Modeled after CMMI^®, Second Edition, which documented CMMI for Development, this book is the definitive reference for the current release of CMMI for Acquisition (version 1.2). In addition to the entire CMMI-ACQ model, the book includes tips, hints, cross-references, and other author notes to help you understand, apply, and find more information about the content of the acquisition process areas. The authors also have added two chapters to illustrate the application of CMMI-ACQ in industry (a case study from General Motors) and government. Whether you are new to CMMI models or are already familiar with one or more of them, you will find this book an essential resource for managing your acquisition processes and improving your overall performance.

The book is divided into three parts.

Part One introduces CMMI-ACQ in the broad context of CMMI models, including essential concepts and useful background. It then describes and shows the relationships among all the components of the CMMI-ACQ process areas, and explains paths to the adoption and use of the model for process improvement and benchmarking. Finally, two separate chapters describe special acquisition needs in a government environment and real experiences with CMMI-ACQ from industry.

Part Two first describes generic goals and generic practices, and then, in twenty-two sections, details each of the CMMI-ACQ process areas, including specific goals, specific practices, and examples. These process areas are organized alphabetically by process area acronym to facilitate quick reference.

Part Three provides several useful references, including sources for further information about CMMI and CMMI-ACQ, acronym definitions, a glossary of terms, and an index.

Author's Site

Please visit the complementary website at http://www.sei.cmu.edu/programs/acquisition-support/index.html.

Online Sample Chapter

Introduction to CMMI-ACQ

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Table of Contents

Foreword: A Commercial Perspective xi

Part One: About CMMI for Acquisition 1

Chapter 1: Introduction 3

About Capability Maturity Models 5

Evolution of CMMI 7

CMMI Framework Architecture 8

CMMI for Acquisition 9

Chapter 2: Process Area Components 11

Required, Expected, and Informative Components 11

Components Associated with Part Two 13

Supporting Informative Components 17

Numbering Scheme 19

Typographical Conventions 19

Chapter 3: Tying It All Together 23

Understanding Levels 23

Structures of the Continuous and Staged Representations 25

Understanding Capability Levels 27

Understanding Maturity Levels 30

Process Areas 35

Equivalent Staging 38

Chapter 4: Relationships among Process Areas 43

Project Processes 44

Organizational Processes 49

Support Processes 50

High Maturity Processes 52

Chapter 5: Using CMMI Models 55

Adopting CMMI 55

Your Process Improvement Program 56

Selections That Influence Your Program 56

CMMI Models 57

Using CMMI Appraisals 58

Appraisal Requirements for CMMI 58

SCAMPI Appraisal Methods 59

Appraisal Considerations 59

CMMI-Related Training 61

Chapter 6: Using CMMI-ACQ in Government 63

Critical Issues in Government Acquisition 63

Acquisition Strategy: Planning for Success 70

Agreements: They Are Not Just with Suppliers 75

Acquisition Verification: The Challenges 77

Interoperable Acquisition 81

Transition to Operations: Delivering Value 84

CMMI: The Heart of the U.S. Air Force’s Systems Engineering Assessment Model 86

Acquisition Improvement: Identifying and Removing Process Constraints 90

Chapter 7: Using CMMI-ACQ in Industry: General Motors Case Study 97

Executive Summary 97

Overview of General Motors 100

Overview of GM Information Systems & Services (IS&S) 101

IS&S Factory Structure 104

System Delivery Factory: An Acquisition Organization 105

Governance of the System Development Factory 107

Aligning the GM System Delivery Process to CMMI-ACQ 108

Realizing Value from the CMMI-ACQ at GM 113

GM to CMMI-ACQ Practice Mapping 129

Managing Process Deployment and Change 129

Integrated Tools Enable High-Performance Acquisition 132

Conducting Appraisals to Drive Change 133

Aligning Supplier Relationships 134

Future Actions 135

Summary 136

Part Two: Generic Goals and Generic Practices, and the Process Areas 137

Generic Goals and Generic Practices 139

Agreement Management 165

Acquisition Requirements Development 173

Acquisition Technical Management 187

Acquisition Validation 199

Acquisition Verification 207

Causal Analysis and Resolution 217

Configuration Management 227

Decision Analysis and Resolution 239

Integrated Project Management 249

Measurement and Analysis 267

Organizational Innovation and Deployment 285

Organizational Process Definition 301

Organizational Process Focus 315

Organizational Process Performance 329

Organizational Training 341

Project Monitoring and Control 353

Project Planning 367

Process and Product Quality Assurance 397

Quantitative Project Management 405

Requirements Management 425

Risk Management 433

Solicitation and Supplier Agreement Development 451

Part Three: The Appendices and Glossary 469

Appendix A: References 471

Appendix B: Acronyms 475

Appendix C: Project Participants 479

Appendix D: Glossary 485

Book Contributors 511