Accenture’s U.S. Government Group Achieves Level 4 CMMI Rating From Software Engineering Institute

WASHINGTON; July 29, 2004 – Accenture’s U.S. Government practice has received the Level 4 Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMISM) rating from the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) at Carnegie Mellon University, an acknowledgement of Accenture’s excellence in delivering consistent, high-quality work to its public-sector clients. Accenture’s National Security Services, a group which handles classified projects for the U.S. government, also received the Level 4 CMMI rating.

The rating, which is sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the National Defense Industrial Association, certifies Accenture’s commitment to productivity, performance, cost efficiency and client satisfaction. With more than 2,800 employees, Accenture’s U.S. Government practice is one of the largest organizations to achieve the Level 4 rating, which was awarded after an extensive, externally-led appraisal of the firm’s business processes.

The Level 4 CMMI designation signifies that Accenture’s U.S. Government practice and National Security Services group consistently deliver high-quality solutions with repeatable processes, including:

• A formal, structured decision-making process, identifying pros and cons to different approaches that provide a basis for client recommendations.
• Developing fully integrated teams that understand and work toward the client’s common goal.
• Quality-assurance reviews that contribute to delivery of a system that meets client requirements.
• Testing and conference room pilots to validate that the new systems perform as intended.

“Achieving the Level 4 rating reflects Accenture’s commitment to delivering measurable business results that help organizations become high-performing governments,” said Stanley Gutkowski, managing partner of Accenture’s U.S. Government practice. “This distinction demonstrates to our public-sector clients that they will receive proven commercial practices and business processes delivered by people with a depth and breadth of industry skills and experience.”

An external team of SEI-authorized assessors and evaluators from Integrated Systems Diagnostics conducted two-week appraisals of Accenture and 11 other government services organizations. The evaluation, called Level 4 Standard CMMI Assessment Method for Process Improvement (SCAMPISM, v1.1), included on-site verification of the operations of Accenture’s Government practice and National Security Services group. The assessors noted Accenture’s commitment to training programs for its employees that encompass professional, technical and process skills development.

The Software Engineering Institute, a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense and operated by Carnegie Mellon University, has demonstrated that organizations adhering to CMMI standards can realize tremendous benefits, including increased reuse of critical assets, increased productivity, reduced development schedules, reduced costs and a common methodology for organizing work.

About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. Committed to delivering innovation, Accenture collaborates with its clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. With deep industry and business process expertise, broad global resources and a proven track record, Accenture can mobilize the right people, skills, and technologies to help clients improve their performance. With approximately 95,000 people in 48 countries, the company generated net revenues of US$11.8 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2003. Its home page is www.accenture.com.

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