Indra achieves CMMI level 5 with software engineering

Indra, the premier IT Company in Spain and a leading IT multinational in Europe, achieved CMMI maturity level 5 with its software engineering. The evaluation was conducted on IGEA (Geographic Enterprise Application), a geographic information system (GIS) oriented to optimise the management of networks and critical assets of companies across all sectors by the representation of thousands of objects in real time.

The score attained by the IT multinational in compliance with the CMMI model of the Software Engineering Institute, a global benchmark of quality and best practices in engineering and software development, represents an acknowledgement to Indra's commitment to quality as a drive for excellence and sustainability. Only four other companies in Spain made it to the top level.

With the implementation of level 5, Indra attains more stability and productivity in its developments as error occurrence is almost non existent. Continuous enhancements with innovations optimise technology and processes and increase client and professional satisfaction as confirmed by surveys.

In the case of IGEA, the top level is applied for the first time to the development, maintenance and optimisation of a product employed by Indra in their solutions across all industries. It is implemented in different sectors: utilities, telecommunications, infrastructures, defence or environment, therefore, it is a valuable product for the company and its clients.

IGEA was developed at Indra's Software Labs and it currently has over 30 references in major national and international clients. It meets the clients’ needs in geographic, graphics and alphanumeric contexts, besides it can be customised to other ends. The solution enables bi dimensional and three dimensional representations based on different data sources. One of its main features is the capacity to represent thousands of objects with response times addressing the needs of critical systems and in real time. IGEA facilitates integration with third-party products as it is based on a collection of software components of easy configuration and was developed using open standards.

Acknowledgement by the Spanish Association for Quality

Indra's effort to achieve level 5 and its commitment to quality have been acknowledged by the Spanish Association for Quality's 2011 CSTIC awards. The company's software labs obtained the award in the category of business improvement through ICT for its IGEA project which is living proof of the impact of the CMMI levels 4 and 5 on the product, client, and staff and on the economic results in terms of productivity and quality.

The awards ceremony took place on September 20th in the framework of the 2011 Communications and Information Technologies Congress (CSTIC) organised by the Spanish Association for Quality and celebrated in Madrid.

The project was also chosen by the ESI (European Software Institute), an entity authorised by SEI in Spain (conducted the CMMI L5 evaluation) to mention it as a success case at the Euromed Spi11 congress, dedicated to improve software processes in the Mediterranean and Eastern Europe countries. The event took place in Bilbao on the 6 and 7 of October.

Commitment to excellence

The above-mentioned acknowledgements are the result of Indra's commitment to quality, innovation and continuous improvement of processes and products as well as to quantitative management for a deeper knowledge of processes, their control and predictability.

Attaining this level is evidence that Indra's project management, staff training and engineering techniques guarantee the quality of its solutions and software services. Other areas within the company, which are currently being updated, will undergo this maturity level evaluation in the short-mid term.

Spain, at the forefront of CMMI in Europe

Nowadays, quality is regarded as a strategic element for sustainable development as well as for the company's sustainability. It also acts as a differentiating factor for businesses and offers a competitive advantage.

As a result the amount of companies holding certificates similar to the CMMI model is constantly increasing. The CMMI model has undertaken nearly 7000 evaluations worldwide. Spain is on the top in the amount of companies who have undergone the evaluations in Europe and holds the fifth position at global scale, according to SEI's last report. The previous positions are occupied by USA, China, India and Japan. The report states that 200 Spanish organisations currently hold the CMMI certificate while this amount was nearly 10 in 2005.

The SEI's CMMI model (Capability Maturity Model Integration) is a worldwide reference evaluating the process of software development. In addition to this, it checks for continuous improvements, thus increasing maturity and quality and enhancing procedures.

Indra
Indra is the premier Information Technology Company in Spain and a leading IT multinational in Europe and Latin America. It is ranked as the second European company in its sector according to investment in R&D with nearly € 500 M during the last three years. In 2010 revenues reached € 2,557 M of which a 40% came from the international market. The company employs more than 31,000 professionals and has clients in more than 110 countries.