After strongly embracing the concept of quality and getting certified in ISO 9001 quality standard, iENGINEERING aimed for something higher, a certification based on a model designed specifically for the information technology industry; Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI). iENGINEERING staff worked aggressively and dedicatedly to complete all the pre-requisites for the appraisal. This was a bigger challenge than ISO 9001 certification since the involvement of the whole organization was essential and every employee had a role to play. The whole culture of the organization was aligned with CMMI level 3 practices through extensive training sessions and mentoring. The hard work paid off and in November 2013; after three days of comprehensive Class A appraisal activity, iENGINEERING was awarded the CMMI Level 3 certification.
In the start of the year 2017, iENGINEERING management decided to upgrade the CMMI certification from Maturity Level 3 to Maturity Level 5. CMMI covers practices for planning, engineering, and managing software development and maintenance. When followed, these key practices improve the ability of organizations to meet goals for cost, schedule, functionality, and product quality. The Software Engineering Process Group (SEPG) led by Saima Naz developed all the processes and ensured their implementation both at projects level and organization level. This team also performed Causal Analysis along with other team members and developed Project Performance Models (PPMs), Process Performance Baselines (PPBs) and introduced innovations like automated testing and deployment tools. These tools were used by the project teams for improving the performance of their respective projects. iENGINEERING’s business objectives which are aligned with the Quality and Process Performance Objectives (QPPOs) are:
- Continuously enhance the quality of our products and services.
- Increase productivity.
- Increase consistency in meeting budget and schedule.
- Achieve greater customer and end-user satisfaction.
- Attract, develop and retain a competent and motivated resource base by ensuring employee satisfaction.
Comprehensive CMMI based process improvement procedures are part of the core software development cycle, which have been thoroughly adopted by the company. iENGINEERING is implementing the CMMI processes in order to successfully meet its business objectives.
There are different areas to focus on during process improvement efforts.
- People & Culture: People need a reason to change.
- Communication: Change without communication is driving without roads.
- Management Commitment: Ensure organizational support, resource availability, and time allocation.
- Planning: A good plan means you are halfway done.
- Tools & Processes: Tools and processes help you ensure consistency and completeness, and support smooth implementation.
iENGINEERING is awarded with the CMMI Maturity Level 5 certification after seven days of comprehensive Class A appraisal activity performed by a team of eight Appraisal Team Member (ATMs) under the supervision of a Lead Appraiser. This is a very proud day for iENGINEERING.
