Lockheed Martin Management & Data Systems (M&DS) announced today that it has become the first and only company in the world to achieve the prestigious Software Engineering Institute's (SEI) CMMI(SM) Maturity Level 5 recognition.

M&DS' Level 5 rating was reached following a comprehensive, independent appraisal of the company's systems and software engineering processes. This is the highest possible rating for a company's systems and software development and maintenance capability.

"This achievement is historic for our company and demonstrates to our customers that they are receiving world-class systems and software engineering capabilities. This would not have been possible without the continued commitment and dedication to process excellence by over 8,000 M&DS employees," said Marc Hansen, M&DS president.

SEI's ratings are recognized by commercial and government customers around the world. Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) provides a framework for improving processes organizations use to develop and deliver products for their customers. The process improvement concepts embedded in CMMI are based upon sound process management principles used in manufacturing communities for years.

The Software Engineering Institute is a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and operated by Carnegie Mellon University. Recognizing the increasingly critical role software played in its systems, the DoD established the Institute to advance the practice of software engineering to ensure software is produced on schedule, on budget and is of the highest quality.

The SEI Maturity Level 5 rating was achieved using a new, more demanding model for assessing a company's systems and software capabilities. The new model is called CMMI(SM) for Systems Engineering/Software Engineering, Version 1.1, Staged Representation. In addition, M&DS's appraisal is the first published use of the Standard CMMI Appraisal Method for Process Improvement (SCAMPI(SM)), Version 1.1. SCAMPI provides benchmark quality ratings utilizing SEI's prescribed Class A methodology.

M&DS' new Level 5 rating follows two unprecedented ratings it received 18 months ago in two separate business models: SEI Level 5 for its software engineering processes, and SE-CMM Level 5 for systems engineering in its Systems Integration organization.

Management & Data Systems (http://mds.external.lmco.com/), headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, has been a leader in systems integration, systems engineering, software development and program management in support of vital national systems for more than 30 years. M&DS is a unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation with approximately 8,000 employees at facilities in Arizona, California, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area, Virginia and Maryland.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin (http://www.lockheedmartin.com/) is a highly diversified global enterprise principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced-technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's core businesses span space and telecommunications, electronics, information and services, aeronautics, energy and systems integration. Lockheed Martin had 2001 sales surpassing $23 billion.

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SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Management & Data Systems