IEM Successfully Appraised at CMMI Maturity Level 3

RESEARCH TRIANGLE, NC, June 28, 2017 – The IEM Software Development Solutions team has been rated at Capability Maturity Model Integration for Development (CMMI®-DEV) Level 3 for the third time. This appraisal, led by Ronald Weidemann of Teradata US, Inc., indicates that IEM’s Software Development Solutions team uses CMMI best practices in developing world class products and services. Software Development Solutions is a division that sits under IEM’s Information Solutions and Emerging Technologies (IS&ET) directorate.

CMMI is a model that provides a framework to guide process improvement in organizations. Carnegie Mellon’s Software Engineering Institute (SEI) created CMMI as a method for measuring whether organizations consistently deliver quality software on time and within budget. There are five CMMI-DEV maturity levels. IEM’s CMMI-DEV Level 3 appraisal means that IEM has a detailed process that guides software product lifecycle and uses CMMI best practices for software product development.

The appraisal scrutinized the processes used for two IEM projects, WebPuff 2015 and WebPuff 2016. WebPuff is a comprehensive, web-based emergency management decision support system. WebPuff, built on open source technology, is used to aid in planning for, responding to, and recovering from a chemical accident or incident. All Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP) sites around the country, which are responsible for demilitarizing chemical weapons, use WebPuff on a daily basis to support their operations. WebPuff received an Exemplary Systems in Government (ESIG) Award from the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) in 2008.

The Standard CMMI Appraisal Method for Process Improvement, Class A (SCAMPI A) was used in the appraisal of IEM’s compliance with the process areas identified in CMMI Level 3. This approach included an objective examination of data and processes along with interviews with program leaders and technical personnel to demonstrate that effective processes are established and being followed.

“Having the distinction of being appraised at CMMI Level 3 gives potential clients and partners the confidence that IEM has the infrastructure and proven experience to develop high quality software products and services with realistic milestones and accurate budgets,” stated Patti Aymond, Manager of IEM’s IS&ET directorate. “The CMMI Level 3 rating confirms that IEM has well-defined, effective, and repeatable processes for project management, software engineering, systems integration, and quality assurance, and we are proud to receive this recognition,” she said.