contact:

Brian McNamara
Hawthorne Associates
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Editorial Resources:

Interview with Sanjay Sharma, CEO of Tata Interactive Systems.

About Senior Management

For more information on Tata Interactive Systems, visit us at OnLine Learning 2001 Booth 1537

Tata Interactive Systems (TIS) Achieves Level 5 Capability Maturity Model® (SW-CMM®)

TIS adapts highest standard of software development to e-learning market

October 1, 2001

Los Angeles, CA -- Tata Interactive Systems (TIS - www.tatainteractive.com) today announced that it had achieved Level 5 of the Capability Maturity Model® (SEI-CMM®)for Software. As the largest custom e-learning developer in the world, TIS has adopted the CMM model for its entire e-learning development process, across both of its development centers. Level 5 is part of TIS' commitment to increased productivity resulting in higher quality projects completed on-time with continuously improved speed to market. Tata Interactive is the first e-learning custom development company to be assessed at CMM Level 5.

"TIS, with a CMM 5 development center, is a pioneer in bringing certified processes to the e-learning industry," said Sanjaya Sharma, CEO of TIS. "CMM judges the maturity of our software processes and level five certifies the very highest quality. This helps us provide our clients with cost effective offshore development that is completely reliable and hassle-free. CMM processes have helped our clients benefit from a 4% increase in productivity every quarter and a consequent improvement in production schedules."

Sharma noted that in the early days of e-learning customers everywhere were concerned about the quality of the learning experience. They often experienced delays in bringing courses online and problems implementing the technology. "Now, we are able to accelerate time to market and measurably improve the quality of courses. Our extremely high levels of customer satisfaction result in one of the highest levels of repeat business in the industry," he said.

The processes of software development and e-learning are very similar. The CMM processes require the use of defined processes and clear reviews of those processes to determine that the customers' expectations are met. This results in higher customer satisfaction, greater flexibility and faster time to market.

Ultimately, clients and end-users reap the benefits when an e-learning developer adheres to such stringent processes, as the results of several of Tata Interactive's recent engagements illustrate. For two recent e-learning development projects, the CMM processes helped TIS deliver projects in excess of the client's expectations. In one project for a publishing company, the rigor of the CMM processes helped TIS bring down cycle times by 30 %, thereby resulting in completion of the projects ahead of schedule, which allowed the client to release the product ahead of schedule. In another example, TIS developed a program that reduced the effort associated with creating multimedia animations by 80%, resulting in improved speed and efficiency in completing the client's project.

In addition, TIS has created a preview tool available on Tata's extranet where clients see work in progress. This application enables clients to make comments online in real-time and therefore speeds production and client satisfaction.

"These constant review cycles mean that we can accelerate progress and maintain our commitment to continuous improvement of our outputs. Using CMM processes, we constantly compress and streamline our processes to assure that customer expectations and needs are met with flexibility and speed," Sharma concluded.

With the CMM Level 5 rating, TIS is among elite company. Other major companies with facilities that have achieved this recognition include Boeing, Hewlett-Packard, Lockheed Martin, Motorola and Raytheon.

Tata is exhibiting at the Online Learning 2001 show in Los Angeles October 1-3 at booth 1537.

About Tata Interactive Systems:

TIS is the world's largest development team for custom e-learning applications. TIS is one of the 80 companies comprising Tata whose revenues equal 1.8% of India's GDP. TIS works for clients worldwide in the corporate e-learning field and in the education e-learning sector. A pioneer in bringing certified processes to the e-learning industry. TIS has offices in New York, London and Mumbai. TIS can be reached in New York at 26 Broadway, Suite 400, New York, NY 10004; 212-837-7909 or at www.tatainteractive.com.