ARA Project Team Achieves CMMI Certification

An Applied Research Associates software development team has achieved the Capability Maturity Model Integration Level 2 certification, an internationally recognized certification in the field of information technology services.

The CMMI certification is an indicator of the quality and dependability of the ARA team's software product, the Integrated Munitions Effects Assessment/Underground Targeting and Analysis System, called IMEA/UTAS (developed under contract to the Defense Threat Reduction Agency).

"The strengths of this team are the high levels of both customer and internal communications, high levels of teamwork, and the organization of the process documentation," said the CMMI Lead Appraiser. He commended the process improvement team for excellent preparation for the appraisal and noted that this extra effort made for an efficient appraisal.

The process improvement team, lead by David Hope, plans to first make the Level 2 processes available to ARA company-wide, then follow with the achievement and implementation of Level 3, targeting a larger organizational appraisal for 2006.

Developed by the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie-Mellon University, the Software Capability Maturity Model has become an international standard for measuring the capability of an organization to effectively develop software. There are five CMMI levels, ranging from an informal, initial capability (Level 1) to an optimizing process with continual improvement (Level 5). SEI's vision is "The Right software, delivered defect free, on time and on cost, every time."

ARA showcased its capabilities in developing high-quality modeling and simulation software recently at the 2004 Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference in Orlando, FL. Along with the IMEA/UTAS software system, ARA's I/ITSEC exhibit demonstrated the weapon effects simulation technologies the company is developing for both the U.S. Army's One Tactical Engagement Simulation System and Combat Training Center Objective Instrumentation System live training and testing programs,  and the groundbreaking real-time, physics-based weapons effects calculations they are providing to large-scale simulations such as Virtual Flag.

Learn more

ARA provides innovative solutions to challenging problems in engineering and science. We consistently generate new ideas and approaches to meet the ever-changing challenges in engineering and the physical sciences.