The SHIELD multiple-award IDIQ is a 10-year, $151B-ceiling contract vehicle designed to accelerate the research, development, testing, and integration of innovative technologies for U.S. missile defense, supporting efforts like the Golden Dome initiative. As part of this enterprise-wide framework, SHIELD enables rapid task-order awards to qualified companies delivering advanced solutions across engineering, analysis, prototyping, and test & evaluation domains.

“It is a great honor for our company to be listed as an approved vendor for the SHIELD program, and it highlights DMC’s track record of providing best-in-class aerospace and defense solutions,” stated Jesse Batche, Vice President at DMC. “We look forward to contributing to future work with the MDA.”

In the list released last month, DMC is included amongst approximately 2,100 companies qualified for future awards from the MDA.

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As with building a home, some quality measures—like ensuring a level foundation—are “table stakes.” Others, like earthquake-proof joints, should be applied only when appropriate to the environment. The same principle applies in software development: quality must match project requirements and user needs without overengineering.

DMC approaches quality with discipline, balancing cost, compliance, and mission readiness. Our process draws inspiration from NASA standards, notably NASA Procedural Requirement 7150.2 and NASA-STD-8739.8, ensuring our work aligns with the highest industry expectations.

Quality at the Developer Commit Phase

Although quality touches every project phase, a critical checkpoint is when developers prepare to commit their work. At this stage, DMC leverages industry-standard COTS solutions—like Git and GitLab—alongside custom tools for efficient and auditable code reviews.

Feature development happens in isolated branches, with code tightly linked to project requirements and safety-critical designations per NASA SWE-134 guidelines. Before any code is merged into the main branch, it must pass two structured reviews: a Functional Code Review and a Quality Code Review.

Functional Code Review: Structured Self-Verification

The Functional Code Review ensures that code changes meet all design, functionality, and testing requirements. In GitLab, DMC uses a detailed merge request template covering eight key categories:

• Design Verification
• Functionality Check
• Test Plan Review
• UI/U Validation
• Documentation
• VeriStand Considerations
• Rework Requirements
• Completion Checklist

Developers perform a self-review using this checklist before engaging a reviewer. By this point, the developer will have conducted:

• Static code analysis using standard and custom NI VI Analyzer tests.
• Unit and regression testing via the JKI Caraya framework (for LabVIEW) and PyTest (for Python).
• Manual test management through our Monday.com-based Acceptance Test Plan (ATP) links requirements directly to test procedures and results.

This structured process ensures that software quality is verified early and often.

Quality Code Review and Requirements Traceability

Once a Functional Code Review is complete, the code advances to a Quality Code Review—the final gate before merging.

DMC has developed custom tools to perform:

• Static code analysis
• Requirements fulfillment analysis
• Automated report generation (interactive MS Word and PDF formats)

Reviewers and developers collaborate directly within these reports, ensuring actionable feedback and compliance with safety-critical standards.

Requirements management and traceability are handled through DMC’s Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM), implemented on Monday.com. Automated tools extract traceability data, feeding into a comprehensive Requirements Coverage Table (RCT). This ensures that every mission-critical requirement is accounted for and verifiably fulfilled.

Static Code Analysis with VIA Plus

Our primary static analysis tool, VIA Plus (developed by Shirey Studios and distributed via VIPM), provides:

• Project-specific dictionaries and threshold settings
• Priority classification of findings (High, Normal, Low)
• Automated documentation of UI/UX elements, error handling, call chains, and connector panes

High-priority items require 100% compliance, while others follow configurable project-specific thresholds. This flexibility ensures that our quality processes are both rigorous and appropriately scaled.

Integrated editing tools within VIA Plus allow for rapid documentation updates during the review, further streamlining the software engineering process.

CI/CD, Build Traceability, and Mission Assurance

Following successful reviews, DMC’s Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) pipeline finalizes the build process for mission-critical applications. Our pipeline compiles and builds artifacts—including PC executables, DLLs, Packed Project Libraries, and Real-Time targets—with strict versioning based on semantic versioning principles.

We use VMware virtual machines to ensure tightly controlled build environments. Dependencies are managed through VIPM and NI Package Manager (NIPM), providing full traceability for each component version at build time.

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This philosophy is embedded in DMC’s software engineering process, emphasizing bidirectional traceability from requirements to code. Guided by NASA Procedural Requirement 7150.2 SWE-052, DMC ensures a chain of custody that remains unbroken throughout the lifecycle of a project.

Building the Chain of Custody Through Smart Tooling and Practices

Maintaining alignment between stakeholders and developers demands an intentional system linking code and development artifacts to the original designs. Achieving this linkage requires four key elements:

• Clear declaration syntax and scope
• Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) that can be programmatically queried
• Comprehensive and maintained reports showing traceability
• A developer culture that prioritizes and celebrates traceability

Recognizing the heavy load of daily “coding chores”—writing tests, following standards, creating designs, and more—DMC minimizes the added burden by building intuitive systems for requirement coverage declaration.

Careful consideration is given to defining the correct unit of code granularity. Overly detailed tagging bloats the code; too coarse a unit makes traceability meaningless. We apply principles like the Single-Responsibility Principle (SRP) to define natural code units—classes, libraries, interfaces, and singular functions—that efficiently map to requirements.

Furthermore, DMC’s system highlights Safety-Critical Requirements, automatically updating design documents with icons, special qualifiers like #SC, and clear banners, ensuring developers apply the extra care required for safety-critical elements.

Leveraging COTS Solutions for Enhanced Development

DMC’s expertise across numerous programming environments enables us to use COTS solutions (Commercial Off-The-Shelf) like NI LabVIEW, NI VeriStand, NI TestStand, and Python. By leveraging these technologies, our teams can programmatically audit requirement coverage within codebases, ensuring an efficient and thorough verification process.

We build custom tooling on top of COTS APIs, allowing developers to generate automated coverage audits and detailed, web-based traceability reports. These reports provide chain of custody information, linking:

• Requirements (with IDs and references to the Requirements Traceability Matrix)
• Design documents that address the requirements
• Code units that implement the designs

This process meets compliance standards and drives down costs without sacrificing quality.

Culture of Traceability and Excellence

Even the best tools are ineffective without the right culture. At DMC, we practice A.R.T.ful Engineering—Accountable, Reliable, and Traceable development. Our emphasis on traceability is not just about meeting external standards like NASA 7150.2—it’s about building systems with purpose, discipline, and full transparency.

Our software engineering process, our use of COTS solutions, and our dedication to managing mission-critical applications all come together to provide our clients with unparalleled confidence. With DMC, you can trust that your vision will become a reality—built with rigor, resilience, and reliability.

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NASA’s software engineering process, codified in NPR 7150.2, reflects this philosophy through its robust Software Engineering Requirements (SWE), including SWE-079, which mandates configuration management across all stages of development. These standards are designed to account for shifts in requirements; discoveries made mid-project, unforeseen obstacles, and course corrections—all common in ADG software projects.

Configuration Management: A Cornerstone of Mission Success

Configuration management is the backbone of flexibility in high-stakes environments. It ensures that every stakeholder—from developers to program managers to end users—is aligned on the most current version of the system plan. This includes timelines and budgets, software designs, user manuals, test protocols, and more.

At DMC, we align with NASA’s NPR 7150.2 through our A.R.T.ful engineering approach: Accountable, Reliable, and Traceable. These principles guide our configuration management strategies, allowing all project components to be uniquely identified, versioned, and tracked. The result? A single source of truth that eliminates ambiguity and supports auditability, ensuring that all parts of the mission-critical system are consistent and verifiable.

Leveraging COTS Solutions for Agile Project Execution

To support this approach, DMC leverages industry-standard COTS (Commercial Off-The-Shelf) solutions integrated with our custom tools to streamline configuration management. Our platform of choice is Atlassian Confluence, where we collaboratively build and maintain critical project documentation such as:

• Software Development Plans
• Configuration Management Plans
• Safety and Mission Assurance Plans
• Verification and Validation Plans
• Software Design Documents
• Requirement Coverage Tables
• and many more

These documents form the digital backbone of the project, providing traceability and control across all stages of the software engineering process.

CCIRT: A Purpose-Built Tool for ADG Configuration Management

To further enhance this system, DMC developed the Confluence Configuration Item Release Tool (CCIRT) in LabVIEW using the open-source LabVIEW Confluence API . CCIRT streamlines Configuration Item (CI) workflows, supporting:

• Creation
• Analysis
• Evolution
• Tracking
• Release

CCIRT offers a straightforward, user-friendly interface that helps teams monitor the current state of all configuration items at a glance. It highlights updates since the last release and seamlessly integrates with Confluence’s version-tracking capabilities.

This empowers teams to confidently review, assess, and manage changes, ensuring alignment and traceability across the entire project lifecycle.

In ADG projects, change is inevitable—but with the right processes, tools, and culture, it becomes a strategic advantage. At DMC, we ensure that mission-critical applications evolve in a controlled, collaborative, and compliant way—because, in this line of work, success depends on how well you adapt.

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There’s zero margin for error in Aerospace, Defense, and Government (ADG) projects. Mission-critical ADG applications demand absolute reliability—failure is not an option. Clear communication of your mission requirements is essential in this high-stakes environment, but it’s only the beginning. True success comes when your vision is internalized by your system integration partner and reflected accurately in the design process.

At DMC, we believe early demonstration of understanding is pivotal to meeting deadlines and budgets. Through clear, intentional designs, we don’t just listen—we prove we understand.

Designs as a Mirror of Understanding

Designs are more than technical blueprints; they are a shadow of the end product, providing early clarity and alignment. At this stage, DMC helps you visualize:

• How we intend to fulfill your mission requirements
• A rough timeline for solution implementation
• A preliminary cost estimate

These design artifacts mark a critical juncture in our software engineering process. They serve as checkpoints to refine your vision, add or remove elements, and ensure ongoing alignment. Equally important, DMC takes responsibility for:

• Linking every design element directly to a specific requirement
• Clearly demonstrating how each requirement is addressed
• Maintaining these connections as both requirements and designs evolve

This commitment forms the second link in a robust chain of custody between your vision and the delivered solution.

Integrating COTS Solutions for Seamless Traceability

To meet the complex needs of ADG projects, DMC leverages proven COTS solutions that are integrated into our software engineering process. Our approach aligns with NASA’s 7150.2 guidelines and embodies our A.R.T.ful engineering culture—Accountable, Reliable, and Traceable.

We manage requirements using Monday.com through a dynamic Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM) and evolve designs in Atlassian Confluence. Our deep expertise in both platforms allows us to build seamless, user-friendly workflows through API integration. This integration ensures that users spend less time navigating tools and more time focused on engineering excellence.

Bridging the Gap: Requirements to Designs

DMC marks each design element with a unique ID from the RTM as designs take shape. Our internal tools automatically scan these designs to generate a Requirements Coverage Table (RCT)—a synchronized, real-time view that shows:

• Each requirement’s current text (synced from Monday.com)
• The designs that address each requirement
• Direct links to both the requirement and the corresponding designs

This bidirectional traceability breaks down information silos and ensures that every mission requirement is visibly covered by the design. It also provides complete transparency and proof of understanding, a necessity in mission-critical applications.

At DMC, our mission is to transform your vision into a reliable, traceable reality using advanced digital tools and deep engineering expertise. By combining robust COTS solutions, agile integration, and a disciplined software engineering process, we ensure your ADG project is mission-ready from the start.

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At DMC, we take that responsibility seriously. Our A.R.T.ful Engineering approach focused on Accountability, Reliability, and Traceability—is designed to ensure that we not only deliver but that we deliver in alignment with your goals, standards, and values. From day one, we strive to be the type of partner who shares your fate.

The Chain of Custody: From Idea to Execution

Great partnerships begin with excellent communication. In ADG work, every word matters—whether in a contract, a standards document, or a conversation. That’s why DMC prioritizes capturing and tracking all communication in a structured, traceable way. This chain of custody is a critical requirement in NASA’s Software Engineering Handbook NPR 7150.2, particularly SWE-052, which emphasizes Bidirectional Traceability.

DMC uses digital tools like Monday.com and SharePoint to make this possible. Unlike traditional email chains, which can conflate conversations and obscure responsibilities, Monday.com enables us to:

• Track every thread of communication
• Assign ownership on both the client and DMC sides
• Establish closure on conversations
• Link requirements to source documentation and follow-up tasks

This platform becomes the foundation for project-wide visibility, accountability, and traceability—ensuring that nothing slips through the cracks.

Requirements That Reflect Your Vision

A critical part of any ADG project is capturing and refining the project’s requirements. We begin by reviewing Statements of Work (SOWs), standards, and other regulatory documents—each with unique language and specificity. From this, we build a Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM) that serves as a blueprint for execution.

Each requirement in our RTM is:

• Expressed as a single, objectively testable statement (“shall,” “should,” etc.)
• Assigned a unique ID and traceable back to its source document, with page or section references
• Tagged with metadata like risk, priority, and type
• Given dual ownership—one DMC lead and one client stakeholder
• Placed under change control, where edits trigger automated approval workflows

This process aligns with best practices from NASA’s 7150.2, including SWE-050, SWE-051, and SWE-053. Monday.com’s automation features allow us to enforce these workflows in real time, tracking what was changed, by whom, and when.

Turning Objectives into Deliverables

Project requirements often start out broad or unclear. DMC works with clients to break these into detailed, manageable components linked to specific tasks, deliverables, and test cases, ensuring every development activity meets a defined requirement. Developers gain clarity, project managers can track progress effectively, and clients have a clear view of how their goals are being met. Whether a project includes 10 requirements or 10,000, this structured approach helps maintain transparency and control throughout the entire project lifecycle.

Why the Right Partner Matters

Entrusting your mission to a partner is about more than meeting deadlines—it’s about preserving your vision, ensuring compliance, and aligning with your standards of excellence. The right partner:

• Listens carefully and captures every detail
• Structures information for clarity and action
• Owns the process end-to-end

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From the earliest phases of a project, clear and persistent documentation lays the groundwork for alignment, accountability, and compliance. That’s why one of the first software engineering requirements in NASA’s NPR 7150.2, SWE-013, emphasizes documentation. It ensures that critical decisions and plans are recorded in a referenceable, auditable format—independent of human memory and resilient across the full lifecycle of a project.

Documentation is the backbone of DMC’s A.R.T.ful Engineering philosophy, which focuses on Accountability, Reliability, and Traceability. It helps teams coordinate effectively, supports rigorous traceability, and creates a lasting record that enables better decisions at every stage.

The Right Tools for the Job

Good documentation isn’t just about writing things down—it’s about using the right tools to manage evolving information. Documentation tools must be thoughtfully selected and integrated to meet the unique demands of ADG applications. The best tools combine a wide range of capabilities, including:

However, functionality is only part of the equation—tools must also be user-friendly for authors, reviewers, and administrators.

Managing Diverse Information Types

ADG projects rely on a broad spectrum of documentation. Examples include:

• Requirements Traceability Matrices
• Risk Assessments & Mitigation Plans
• System & Software Designs
• Configuration Items & Change Requests
• Test Plans & Results
• User Manuals & SOPs
• Budgets, Staffing Plans & Gantt Charts
• Internal and External Communications
• Meeting Notes & Developer Tasks

Each type of information has a unique structure, workflow, and lifecycle. This variety often leads organizations to use multiple tools—each one suited to a specific task. While specialization is helpful, a proliferation of tools can silo data, hinder collaboration, and obscure the bigger picture.

DMC’s Approach: Integration and Insight

At DMC, we specialize in breaking down these silos. We help our clients:

• Evaluate the best tools for their documentation needs
• Integrate multiple platforms into a unified, seamless ecosystem
• Build custom solutions that align with their business requirements

Internally, DMC uses a blend of industry-standard COTS (Commercial Off-the-Shelf) tools and custom-built integrations to manage all aspects of our projects. Our toolset includes:

• Atlassian Confluence – For collaborative, structured documentation, and planning
• Monday.com – For workflow management, communication, and traceability
• GitLab – For source code control, code reviews, change tracking, and continuous integration / continuous delivery (CI/CD)
• Microsoft SharePoint – For enterprise file storage and access management

What makes our ecosystem powerful is the integration between these tools. For example, a requirement originating from a SharePoint file is translated to Monday.com and then directly linked to a Confluence page describing the design that satisfies the requirement. Source code implementing the design and managed in GitLab is then linked to the Monday.com requirement. Finally, test plans and results stored in Monday.com are linked to the requirements. This creates a living, traceable thread across the entire project, from origin to artifact.

Transforming Documentation into a Strategic Asset

With the right tools and processes, documentation becomes more than just a compliance task—it becomes a strategic advantage:

• Enabling reliable, traceable decision-making
• Keeping internal and external stakeholders aligned
• Supporting compliance with standards like NASA 7150.2
• Facilitating faster onboarding, reviews, and audits
• Evolving with the project to remain current and actionable

DMC’s expertise lies in creating documentation environments that do all this and more. Whether it’s helping you select a platform, integrating your existing tools, or developing a custom solution from scratch, we ensure your documentation works as hard as your team does.

In mission-critical environments, success starts with the plan, and the plan begins with documentation.

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NASA’s Procedural Requirement (NPR) 7150.2

Developing test systems for large, complex, multi-use scenarios involves integrating performant, flexible hardware with extensible, user-centric software. Given the complexity and scale of the projects, timelines and budgets must be carefully considered and monitored. Many aerospace companies and US government agencies have codified their lessons learned during test system development in various standards, such as NASA Procedural Requirement (NPR) 7150.2, which is aimed at standardizing the software engineering process. The 7150.2 requirement addresses how to ensure the software’s robustness and the process by which the software is created, with its foundational belief being that the software engineering process is as vital as writing the code itself. Without the proper process, it’s not possible to create the right solution, deliver on time, or deliver on budget.

This makes documentation critical to creating plans and maintaining alignment during all phases of project execution, across all members of your team and partners. Choosing the right documentation tools and creating custom integrations can greatly reduce the hurdles to achieving 7150.2 compliance.

Building Through A.R.T.ful Design

At DMC, we employ an A.R.T.ful engineering philosophy which focuses on Accountability, Reliability, and Traceability in all that we do. An example of this is in our collaboration with Northrop Grumman on the NASA Space Launch System (SLS) Booster Obsolescence Life Extension (BOLE) project, where DMC met and exceeded industry standards processing approximately 100 documents (each with one or more versions) flowed down from Northrop Grumman defining not only the end article’s requirements, but also the process by which the end article must be constructed (7150.2 being one of those documents). The documents were synthesized into our databases, and each requirement catalogued.

DMC created numerous plans and designs in response to these requirements while involving Northrop Grumman in the requirement refinement process. Our team of expert developers created both hardware and software solutions, clearly indicating in code where the solutions met the designs. Before, during, and after development, our team followed quality assurance processes so that the system would be sufficiently tested, keeping a traceable record of results back to requirements.

Putting Principles into Practice

Successfully executing mission-critical ADG applications requires more than just technical skill—it takes a disciplined, process-driven approach centered on Accountability, Reliability, and Traceability. At DMC, we’ve proven through countless successful projects that our engineering philosophy enables us to exceed stringent compliance standards while remaining flexible and collaborative throughout the project lifecycle. In short, as A.R.T.ful engineers, “We say what we do, we do what we say, and we prove that we did it.”

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