RALEIGH, N.C., July 6, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Applied Research Associates announced today that its Southeast Division (Major SW Programs – Raleigh), (ARA/SED), headquartered in Raleigh, NC, has been reappraised at level 3 of the CMMI Institute's Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI).

The reappraisal of ARA/SED's major software programs illustrates the organization's commitment to continuous process improvement; ARA/SED achieved previous CMMI-DEV maturity level 3 appraisals in 2009 and 2012. All software projects at ARA/SED can leverage a standard set of processes designed to help projects perform efficiently and deliver high quality technical solutions.

"As ARA continues to grow, it is vital that we continue to strengthen our proven, repeatable processes that will deliver more value to our clients while minimizing program and project risks," William Ratliff, SED Division Manager said. "Reappraising at this level reflects our continued dedication to achieving high performance and gives our customers confidence that SED has institutionalized proven processes."

CMMI is a capability improvement framework that provides essential elements of effective processes to improve organizational and project performance. Maturity level 3 requires the organization to perform at a "defined" level. At this level, the organization describes its well-characterized processes in standards, procedures, tools, and methods. The organization establishes and improves this set of standard processes over time.

CMMI Institute Partner Layman & Layman led the appraisal.

About Applied Research Associates, Inc.
Applied Research Associates, Inc. (http://www.ara.com) is an international research and engineering company recognized for providing technically excellent solutions to complex and challenging problems in the physical sciences. Our mission is to provide in-depth and diversified research, engineering, and technical support services. We have a broad range of technical expertise in computer software and simulation, systems analysis, defense technologies, civil engineering, biomedical engineering, and environmental technologies.