Norfolk State University (NSU) Institutional Assessment
Client Need / Challenge:
Support NSU's accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), through an independent and objective review of the institutional assessment program required by SACSCOC Core Requirement 2.5 and Comprehensive Standard 3.3.1 (Institutional Effectiveness). Evaluate the systems/tools and processes used to implement these institutional assessments; assess whether each educational/academic program is using appropriate methods and measures to collect data on desired learning outcomes; and confirm whether said data is used to make program improvements. Provide feedback in the form of strengths and weaknesses as well as opportunities for improvement.
iPower's Approach:
Reviewed and analyzed historical data (e.g., previous Annual Assessment Reports) and existing standard operating procedures that had been developed by each of the NSU educational/academic programs
Reviewed applicable SACSCOC requirements and standards, as well as best practices applied by other colleges and universities
Conducted face-to-face interviews with academic deans, department chairs, and members of the University Assessment Advisory Committee (UAAC) during campus visits
Developed and presented a comprehensive report summarizing our findings, which highlighted strengths and weaknesses and included a series of recommendations for improvement
Result:
iPower's team provided NSU with objective and actionable feedback and recommendations to improve the effectiveness of their institutional assessment program, ultimately helping them to rectify SACSCOC probationary status and prepare for their next accreditation milestone.
NITAAC Market Outreach and Business Operations Support
Client Need / Challenge:
iPower provided services to NIH NITAAC, a "fee for service" organization with the responsibility for delivering efficient and effective administrative services to the entire Federal government. We supported a wide variety of contract management and business development activities including trade show/event management, advertising management, business development research, public relations, creative design, media writing, internet business development, and contract management for the specific objective of increasing market share.
iPower's Approach:
Developed and maintained a Project Management Plan that described the management approach, resources and controls for meeting cost, schedule and performance requirements
Initiated marketing strategies, building and strengthening relationships with senior acquisition and c-suite professionals, and provided outreach with CIOs, CTOs, and acquisitions leads
Delivered creative and technical expertise to manage advertising and public relations and to provide assistance with branding, creative design and production support for print communications, broadcasts and electronic media
Provided customer communication, support, training and outreach events on NITAAC capabilities, tools, and events for contract holders as well as customers
Result:
iPower's team assisted the NITAAC program in expanding its reach across the Federal and Defense communities. We worked with NITAAC management to establish repeatable standard operating procedures and tools for improving efficiency and increasing operational effectiveness. We helped the organization to obtain a CMMI for Services Maturity Level 2 rating.
DOD/VACA Acquisition and Financial Management Support
Client Need / Challenge:
Effective Acquisition and Financial Management Services to the Virginia Contracting Activity (VACA).
iPower's Approach:
Assist with the award and administration of task orders associated with a large Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracting vehicle
Perform acquisition planning and request for proposal (RFP) / invitation for bid (IFB)
Select appropriate terms and conditions for contracts, performs cost and price analysis, and prepare negotiation memorandums and contract modification for the CO
Document evaluation of performance, contract termination and contract closeout
Provide financial management assistance to office and division leadership at the Virginia Contracting Activity (VACA)
Coordinate implementation of policy, guidance, and priorities for program-related activities; assist in creation, maintenance, and tracking of final spend plans for the customer
Interact with counterparts at the VACA and external agencies to ensure smooth obligation and execution of program funds
Result:
iPower's full acquisition lifecycle and financial management support is highly regarded across multiple organizations within VACA due to our emphasis on quality service delivery.
Unisys / FBI Combined DNA Indexing System (CODIS)
Client Need / Challenge:
SEI CMMI Maturity Level 3 Rating, Efficient Processes and Outcomes.
iPower's Approach:
Assisted the CODIS Program in adopting best practices to improve the overall program performance as well as achieve a CMMI Maturity Level 3 Rating
Performed Process Training on 17 CMMI Process areas for over 80+ resources on the program
lmplemented tools and other techniques that improved processes which resulted in repeatable results; these results were included in the FBI CODIS IT Dashboard data
Conducted quality reviews and lessons learned meetings at each lifecycle phase to ensure continual improvement
Result:
In large part due to iPower;s expertise and knowledge transfer ability, the CODIS program was well managed and scored well on the Federal IT Dashboard. Unisys recognized iPower's role as well as the valuable knowledge and skills our staff possessed by expanding our scope of the support to include EVM, QA, and CM responsibilities.
iGov Technologies (USSOCOM - TACLAN)
Client Need / Challenge:
SEI CMMI Maturity Level 3 Rating, Efficient Processes and Outcomes, Operational Stability, Effective QA Program.
iPower's Approach:
Established and maintained the Quality Assurance and Process Improvement functions for USSOCOM's Tactical Local Area Network (TACLAN) Program
Trained 15+ program resources on industry best practices and CMMI Level 3 process areas across three IT projects; completed two risk assessments and a SCAMPI within 15 months (typically an organization takes 24 months to achieve a CMMI Level 3 rating)
Defined, developed and implemented all associated processes and related artifacts to support QA activities and process improvement initiatives
Instituted a process group to manage, perform, monitor and control process deployment and operational integration
Result:
Using open communications between contractor elements that support the PMO, our Quality Assurance/Process Improvement (QA/PI) engineers consistently fostered teamwork and provided support to all functional areas (i.e., Operations, Engineering, Production and Sustainment) of Team TACLAN. The organization was successful in attaining its goal of maximizing performance, effectiveness, and reliability.
US Courts - Administrative Office Program Management Support
Updated the Information Resource Management Standards (IRMS) by integrating best practices from CMMI, ISO, and IEEE
Established the QA program for the Administrative Office (AO) of the US Courts using industry quality standards and expert training vendors to develop the tailored program
Trained QA group members to ensure adherence to quality and IT governance programs
Created metrics and other reporting mechanisms to assist the program in achieving desired results
Result:
Due to iPower's efforts in implementing an effective quality program, the Administrative Office of the US Courts has rolled out the program throughout other areas of their organization. The QA program provides AO executives and senior management with appropriate visibility into how each of the projects use the AO's IRMS.