Building trust through quality management: BI’s Journey to Excellence

Preparing and achieving a Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Maturity Level (ML) rating through an appraisal is a significant endeavor, demanding additional resources and costs for a business. For small businesses focused on development, this effort can be especially challenging, since their attention is primarily on business growth rather than process improvements. However, at Business Integra (BI), we have consistently upheld our mottos, “Together Achieve More” and “Flying Higher Together.” Our unwavering commitment to excellence sets us apart as a trustworthy partner for government clients seeking quality.

Our quality journey began in 2008 (see timeline below.) Since then, our leadership has been dedicated to continuously improving our business processes. We initiated this journey by achieving the ISO 9001:2008 certification and CMMI V1.3 Development (DEV) ML 2 appraisal, with just a few employees at the time. Continuous improvement of our processes and systems became a core organizational objective and part of our quality policy, along with other focus areas such as timely delivery, customer satisfaction, and employee training.

Approach to Excellence

Recognizing that excellence is not an accident but rather is a continuous process, we quickly understood the limitations of our initial approach, which involved merely meeting standard requirements. We decided to take a more proactive stance toward building process excellence. By developing our indigenous Quality Management System (QMS) architecture and enhancing our defined processes to exceed standard requirements, we set ourselves on an intentional path toward higher maturity levels.

Our approach to achieving high maturity has been incremental and organic. We started by building a robust process framework that formalized and strengthened our business processes (ISO 9001:2008, CMMI ML 2 DEV.) As we complied with new process standards (ISO 9001:2015), we continued to enhance our processes through implementation of process improvement mechanisms and internal audits. This progress led us to achieve CMMI V1.3 DEV ML 3 within the next three years.

Our expansion journey involved implementing newer business processes, services, and products, which we benchmarked against industry certifications such as ISO 27001. By conducting self-assessments of our service delivery process according to ITIL 4 guidelines and implementing improved process frameworks and automation tools, we attained compliance with the industry standard ISO 20000-1 and reached Maturity Level 3 in CMMI SVC V1.3. We extended this approach to other business areas, earning certifications in Business Continuity (ISO 22301), Secure Supplier Management (ISO 28001), Earned Value Management (ISO 21508), and more.

The Role of Metrics & Data Analysis

Throughout our journey, we emphasized the importance of continuous improvement and established a robust metrics framework. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) were defined, traced to processes, and closely monitored, providing a solid foundation for achieving high maturity. In-depth statistical analysis of historical data allowed us to understand process strengths and weaknesses, identify success trends, and optimize our business processes to meet the requirements of Maturity Level 4. This in-depth understanding and quantitative process performance models paved the way for reaching the highest level of process maturity, Maturity Level 5, in both Development (DEV) and Services (SVC) according to CMMI.

Our Differentiators: Trust, in action.

Several factors differentiate Business Integra and make us a trusted partner for quality-focused government clients:

• Leadership Support and Direction: Strong commitment from senior leadership has been instrumental in driving successful process improvement initiatives. The leadership actively reviews process implementation, metrics, risks, and customer satisfaction, providing necessary resources and support.

• Laser Focus on Process Improvement: Our organization encourages process improvement ideas from all stakeholders, fostering a culture of continuous improvement. These ideas are documented and tracked to implementation.

• Disciplined and Organic Approach: We have followed a disciplined approach to process definition, implementation, and improvement, continuously building upon our process architecture.

• Tools and Frameworks: By adopting appropriate tools, digitizing manual processes, introducing collaboration tools, and automating workflows, we have accelerated our process implementation efforts.

• Teamwork: Collaboration and coordinated efforts among team members have been crucial in achieving high maturity levels.

• Unwavering Adherence to Defined Processes: Consistent adherence to defined processes has enabled us to analyze them in detail and make continuous improvements.

Achievements & Recognition

Our dedication to quality and excellence has borne remarkable results. Despite being a small company initially, Business Integra took on the challenge of high maturity and became one of the 10 companies in the United States, and the first in 2019, to achieve CMMI V1.3 ML5 SVC, the highest maturity level. In January 2018, we had already achieved CMMI V1.3 ML4 DEV, demonstrating our commitment to continuous improvement. As of 2023, Business Integra is among the four companies in the US and 13 internationally to be appraised at CMMI V2.0 Maturity Level 5 for both Development and Services with Supplier Agreement Management (SAM.)

Trust in Quality. Trust in BI.

Our journey to excellence has been guided by our unwavering commitment to continuous improvement, strong leadership support, and a disciplined approach to building and enhancing our processes. At Business Integra, we understand the significance of achieving high maturity levels in CMMI and other industry certifications. Trust us to deliver quality, innovation, and excellence as we continue to soar higher together with our government clients.