Marine Division Achieves CMMI Level 3 Accreditation Following Appraisal By Object Consulting

SYDNEY , 22 February, 2007 - Tenix Defence Marine Division has been awarded Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Level 3 accreditation across 14 process areas, making it the first Australian shipbuilder to receive a CMMI rating. The CMMI Lead Appraiser from Object Consulting lead a final formal Class A appraisal covering three Marine Divisions locations. Object is a specialist Australian consultant, trainer and developer of enterprise software solutions.

The Marine Division, one of four divisions within Tenix Defence, is one of the premier shipbuilders in Australia and has particular skills in naval systems design and integration. At any given time it can have up to 140 projects running. The CMMI Model, an international model for organisations seeking business wide process improvement, can be used as a basis to appraise organisations, with ratings between 0 and 5. As a supplier of high-value, high risk projects to the Australian Government, achieving CMMI Level 3 accreditation means the division exceeds current Defence Material Organisation requirements for high-end contractors. All other Divisions of Tenix Defence have also previously achieved accreditation to CMMI Level 2, demonstrating a culture of Capability Maturity across the enterprise.

Achieving CMMI Level 3 demonstrates a major commitment to managing business processes. As part of the appraisal a structured documentation library was produced, enabling knowledge gained and feedback gathered from past projects to be shared and applied across new projects. This will result in increased capabilities across the division and improved quality of outputs. The appraisal process has set in motion an embedded culture of continuous improvement.

The Marine Division embarked on the road to CMMI accreditation in July 2004 as part of an overall initiative by Tenix Defence for CMMI accreditation across its four divisions. After four months of planning, the accreditation process kicked off in earnest in November 2004.

To achieve the CMMI Level 3 accreditation, the Marine Division developed/improved and delivered the following:

• A set of business policies and processes for each of the 14 process areas.
• A Marine Asset Library on the Tenix intranet to enable access to key project and departmental start up material. This included tools and templates for use in consistent delivery on projects.
• A centralised staff feedback log with suggestions for improvement and a means capturing project lessons learnt.
• A structured Marine Business Process learning and development pack for delivering 33 learning modules.

Warwick Adler, Lead Appraiser for Object's Capability Improvement Practice, consulted to Tenix Defence over an 18 month period on process improvement and coached business champions in the area of CMMI. He conducted a series of B and C class appraisals to measure and track incremental growth before conducting the final Marine Division Class A appraisal. This involved 14 groups of interviews with 65 staff from three locations (Whangarei in New Zealand , Williamstown in Victoria , and Henderson in WA) and through the three channels of the business (Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair; Platform and Combat Systems; and Technical Operations).

David Miller, Executive General Manager, Tenix Defence Marine Division said “We set ourselves a very tough goal just over 18 months ago to achieve CMMI Level 3 accreditation. Due to the efforts of many Marine employees across New Zealand , Victoria and Western Australia we have today succeeded in achieving that goal. As one of the premier shipbuilders in Australia we believe that CMMI Level 3 accreditation signifies our commitment to quality outcomes and business improvement.”

According to Tom Le Grice, Business Process Improvement Manager, Tenix Defence Marine Division, “The biggest challenge in achieving CMMI Level 3 accreditation was the initial establishment of a team of staff who could muster time, enthusiasm and energy to apply momentum across the organisation. Thanks has to go to the absolute senior Marine management support and the very knowledgeable process guidance of Warwick Adler in achieving this credible result. Additionally, our achievement would not have been possible without solid project preparation and business process .”

Commenting on the Marine Division's achievement, Warwick Adler, Lead Appraiser, Capability Improvement Practice, Object Consulting, said, “Tenix Defence Marine Division has achieved this result in what, based on my experience, is a very short duration. Many organisations take three to four years to achieve what Marine Division has achieved in 18 months. The result is a formally recognised accreditation against an international standard that will dramatically increase the maturity and capability of the Marine Division.”

Warwick Adler is one of six CMMI Lead Appraisers in Australia and has over 10 years experience in process improvement around software development. CMMI Appraisals are one of the offerings available through Object's Capability Improvement Practice. The Practice provides end-to-end process improvement by looking at the people, processes and tools that increase an organisation's overall delivery capability.

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Media Enquiries:
For additional information, please contact:
Tracy Pendergast, Pentica PR: 0411 034 868 or via e-mail tracy@pentica.com.au on behalf of Object Consulting Pty Ltd