1. Incident Management Information Sharing Capability Maturity Model
August 5, 2017
Ronald Langhelm
Program Manager
First Responders Group
Science and Technology Directorate

2. Current Situation
Incident Management Information Sharing (IMIS) presents challenges across the full spectrum of responders in large-scale incidents
Partners in the incident management/first responder community lack clear direction on optimal ways to discover or share mission- critical information and to objectively assess their capabilities
While general guidance materials are available, none provide details specific to an entity’s maturity level as it relates to IMIS
DHS Science and Technology Directorate | MOBILIZING INNOVATION FOR A SECURE WORLD

3. Requirements for IMIS CMM
Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium Capstone-14 Exercise After Action Report clearly identified the requirement for an IMIS Capability Maturity Model (CMM)
“[A] Capabilities Maturity Model would help agencies measure their maturity along a continuum and help to guide their path forward”
CMM “could result in significant opportunities to eliminate redundant data entry processes, reduce data entry errors and collect more detailed information”
DHS Science and Technology Directorate | MOBILIZING INNOVATION FOR A SECURE WORLD

4. Capability Maturity Model (CMM) Defined
CMM is a framework that describes key elements of an effective practice
Presents an evolutionary improvement path from an ad hoc immature process to a mature and disciplined process
Collection of best practice-based characteristics that assist an organization in identifying competencies and support improvement of processes
DHS Science and Technology Directorate | MOBILIZING INNOVATION FOR A SECURE WORLD

5. CMM Establishes a Means for Strategic Measurement
Provides an assessment process to benchmark overall performance in a structured and repeatable way
Identifies gaps in technologies, processes and governance
Serves as a comparison process to the practices of the industry
Delivers a basis for an organization to identify their desired functional level
Assists in the development of formalized improvements to its processes
Provides the opportunity to demonstrate results of improvement efforts
DHS Science and Technology Directorate | MOBILIZING INNOVATION FOR A SECURE WORLD

6. The IMIS CMM Defined
IMIS CMM will enable maturation of incident management-related information sharing processes and capabilities
Will improve and broaden sharing of specific information that originates within episodes of incident response and support
Addresses IMIS abilities at all levels of government, as well as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and private sector partners
DHS Science and Technology Directorate | MOBILIZING INNOVATION FOR A SECURE WORLD

7. IMIS CMM Objectives Foster formalized governance and leadership
Support better-informed first responders through improved interoperability and information agility
Provide a logical pathway to technical and functional advancements in IMIS
Assist organizations in creating a consistent, nationwide IMIS governance approach, while deriving value from their IMIS investments
Support resourcing requests and return on investment analysis
Improve information security and integrity, while increasing the technical abilities of incident response
DHS Science and Technology Directorate | MOBILIZING INNOVATION FOR A SECURE WORLD

8. The IMIS CMM
Promotes governance and process over direct technology advancement
Provides the ability to assess impacts on operational activities
Addresses topics such as leadership, workforce, budget, legal, procurement, etc.
Can be used to monitor information sharing progress over time
Assists in determining the effectiveness of evolving activities
Supports the development of maturity metrics to promote detailed discussions between communities
Identifies requirement for development of formal improvement plans
DHS Science and Technology Directorate | MOBILIZING INNOVATION FOR A SECURE WORLD

9. IMIS CMM Core Elements
IMIS CMM Core Elements are derived from five inter-dependent elements of the SAFECOM Interoperability Continuum, which measure the maturity of an organization’s IMIS capabilities:
Governance
Technology
Standard Operating Procedures
Training & Exercises
Usage
Governance - Establishing a common governing structure for solving issues related to incident management, information management and information sharing will improve the policies, processes and procedures of organization by: enhancing communication, coordination and cooperation; establishing guidelines and principles; clearly defining decision rights and roles and responsibilities; and reducing any internal jurisdictional conflicts. Governance structures provide the framework in which stakeholders can collaborate and make decisions that represent a common objective. It has become increasingly clear to the incident management and emergency response community that IMIS and communications interoperability cannot be solved by any one entity; achieving effective and efficient IMIS and communications interoperability capabilities requires a partnership among emergency response organizations across all levels of government. As such, a governing body should consist of SLTT and federal entities, as well as representatives from all pertinent emergency management and first response disciplines within an identified region.
Technology   - Technology is a critical tool for improving IMIS and communications interoperability capabilities, but it is not the sole driver of an optimal solution. Successful implementation of technology/tools must be supported by strong governance and is highly dependent on effective collaboration and training among participating organizations and jurisdictions. Technologies should meet the interoperability requirements of practitioners on the front lines while addressing regional needs, existing infrastructure, cost vs. benefit and sustainability. The technologies organizations deploy must be scalable to effectively support day-to-day incidents as well as large-scale disasters. Often, a combination of technologies will be necessary. Security and authentication challenges are present in each technology and must be considered in all implementation decisions.
Standard Operating Procedures - Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are formal written guidelines or instructions for incident management, information management and information sharing within and across jurisdictions; they typically have both operational and technical components. Established SOPs enable emergency management professionals and first responders to successfully coordinate an incident management/response across disciplines and jurisdictions. Clear and effective SOPs are essential for developing and deploying any IMIS and/or interoperable communications solution.
Training and Exercises - Implementing effective training and exercise programs to practice IMIS and communications interoperability is essential for ensuring that the technology works and responders are able to effectively share information and communicate via multiple methods (e.g., voice and data) during emergencies.
Usage - Usage refers to how often IMIS and interoperable communications technologies are used. Success in this element is contingent upon progress and interplay among the other four elements on the Interoperability Continuum
DHS Science and Technology Directorate | MOBILIZING INNOVATION FOR A SECURE WORLD

10. IMIS CMM Maturity Levels
IMIS Maturity Levels provide a maturity categorization across IMIS Core Elements to rate an entity across a 0-5 scale within each element:
Level 0: No Capability
Level 1: Awareness
Level 2: Planning and Development
Level 3: Limited Operational Capability
Level 4: Extended Operational Capability
Level 5: Mature Operating Capability
Level 0: No Capability
Level 1: Awareness
The entity is somewhat aware of the data/information available from SLTT and federal partners and is not certain where or how to obtain access on a consistent or sustainable basis. They operate without established IMIS objectives and their processes and practices are inconsistent and unpredictable with a high risk of variation and deficiency. Deficiencies are not systematically identified and employees’ roles and responsibilities and not defined or documented.
Level 2: Planning and Development
The entity is actively coordinating with a governing body to build operational capacity for IMIS. Formal planning activities and objectives are in place, but are not yet prioritized or implemented. Incident management processes and practices are dependent on the knowledge of individuals and their personal relationships with others. Initial discussions with information sharing partners regarding the establishment of formal information sharing agreements and protocols are underway, but are not yet documented. The entity is generally aware of the data/information available from SLTT and federal partners but has not developed formal relationships for access. Effectiveness is not adequately evaluated, and defined roles and responsibilities for information management may not be fully documented or understood by all employees.
Level 3: Limited Operational Capability
Objectives are in place, prioritized and adequately documented. Incident management processes and practices are evaluated on a periodic basis. The evaluation process is not well documented, however. The entity is aware of the data/information available from SLTT and federal partners; it has agreements in place and has documented and uses some formal information sharing agreements/protocols. The entity has defined the Essential Elements of Information (EEIs) required to support operations and is capable of using both static and dynamic EEIs to support daily internal operations. Employees are aware of their documented IMIS roles and responsibilities and are capable of discovering, creating, consuming, publishing, sharing and securing data/information from various internal and external sources into a consolidated daily situational awareness view.
Level 4: Extended Operational Capability
The entity has an institutionally adopted enterprise-level capability to manage information internally and to share both static and dynamic information with external partners at various levels for operational use. Employees are aware of their documented roles and responsibilities, and technology is applied tactically to ensure the use of predictable and consistent IMIS processes and practices. IMIS objectives are in place, documented, prioritized and reviewed on a periodic basis. Incident management processes and practices are evaluated on a scheduled basis and consistent follow-up addresses identified process deficiencies. Formal information sharing agreements and protocols for all EEIs and other critical data/information are documented and used on a consistent basis.
Level 5: Mature Operating Capability
The entity is capable of adapting to unfolding incidents/events and providing the appropriate data discovery, sharing, analysis  , and recommendation for decision making. Technology is strategically applied to ensure continuous assessment, monitoring and improvement of the IMIS processes and practices to optimize their enterprise-level capabilities. Employees are aware of their documented roles and responsibilities and are proactively involved in continuous process improvement. Objectives are in place, prioritized, reviewed on a scheduled/continual basis and documented. The evaluation process is well documented and consistent follow-up addresses identified process deficiencies.  
DHS Science and Technology Directorate | MOBILIZING INNOVATION FOR A SECURE WORLD

11. IMIS CMM Attributes
IMIS CMM Attributes further define IMIS Core Elements to refine an organization’s understanding of the maturity level of its incident management operations and information sharing capabilities
Used by IMIS CMM to provide means for an entity to complete an IMIS CMM assessment
Framework Document Text
DHS Science and Technology Directorate | MOBILIZING INNOVATION FOR A SECURE WORLD

12. Recent Use Case New Orleans Experiment
S&T deploying new information sharing tools and demonstrating social media technologies/methodologies
Developed flood scenario based table-top exercise
Technology will be deployed, trained and exercised
S&T conducted pre-experiment CMM assessment
Full-day experiment conducted in coordination with local stakeholders and partners
Awaiting opportunity to conduct post-assessment
Framework Document Text
DHS Science and Technology Directorate | MOBILIZING INNOVATION FOR A SECURE WORLD

13. IMIS CMM Assessment
Assessment allows an entity to identify the achieved IMIS CMM Attributes
Provides output display of the entity’s current IMIS maturity levels within each Core Element
Framework Document Text
DHS Science and Technology Directorate | MOBILIZING INNOVATION FOR A SECURE WORLD