What is AIMM®?

The International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG) has developed the Aerospace Improvement Maturity Model (AIMM®) to help AS9100 companies understand the maturity level of their AS9100 quality management system (QMS), and identify areas where they might be at risk, and where improvement opportunities exist. AIMM® is for organizations that want to continually improve and to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of their QMS.

AS9100 is the minimum needed for maintaining a QMS, so a company might implement the minimum to get certified, but there may be obvious risks to just meeting the minimum. Companies can use the free AIMM® online resource to identify where they may want to prioritize the need for improvement projects based on the maturity model. 

AIMM® allows a company to perform a self-assessment, and evaluate its current level of maturity to set clear targets for improvement. This online tool can be used by certified or non-certified companies, either for the entire scope of an AS9100 compliant QMS or just targeted areas of interest.​

The AIMM® tool can be used to:

• Gage the level of maturity of the entire QMS, or some area(s) of particular interest
• Get ideas to expand or upgrade the company’s QMS
• Verify the level of preparedness for certification to AS9100, as the maturity level scoring shows how a company can be expected to be:
  • Most likely not yet certifiable if all modules are around maturity Level 1
  • Most probably certifiable if all modules are around maturity Level 2 or 3
  • Certifiable and beyond the standard if all modules are around maturity Level 4 or 5
• Improve an existing AS9100 certified QMS
• Provide support for improvement-driven internal audit programs
• Determine an improvement plan for a critical area of the company
• Set clear and quantifiable improvement targets, and verify their achievement.

How is AIMM® structured?

The AIMM® is structured into 26 assessment modules and a maturity level is calculated for each module. The result is a framework to evaluate the level of maturity with key elements being:

• A set of expected outcomes
• A maturity scale consisting of five levels of maturity
  • Level 1 Initial – Expected outcomes are achieved but in a reactive and not a repeatable way
  • Level 2 Managed – Processes result in expected outcomes that are consistently achieved and controlled
  • Level 3 Deployed – Processes to achieve expected outcomes are defined and deployed across the company
  • Level 4 Predictable – Processes to achieve expected outcomes are managed systematically based on quantitative targets and measures
  • Level 5 Optimizing – Best-in-class through continual improvement, efficiency and innovation of processes
• A complete set of maturity assessment criteria

As companies continue to use AIMM®, an added feature is the ability to compare system benchmarks contributing to a better understanding of a company’s pace of change.

The tables below show that all the clauses of the AS9100 standard have been incorporated into the AIMM® modules.

Click on the image to see the full view of the tables.

Note that AIMM® is not intended to be flowed down to suppliers as a requirement for supplier selection.  It is intended for companies that are already certified to AS9100, or wanting to become certified, trying to benchmark their QMS maturity and improve their QMS.

Learn more about AIMM in our free video presentation The Benefits of AIMM®.

There is more information on the IAQG website, along with free on-demand training, demos and AIMM® Awareness eLearning. 

Serving aerospace and defense manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, and repair stations since 2005, simpleQuE offers customized AS9100, AS9110 and AS9120, or ASA-100 (FAA AC00-56) consulting, internal auditing, and training services.