To help customers improve their processes, the STSC uses a 5 step approach known as the IDEAL Model. The IDEAL Model is an acronym derived from the 5 major steps that make up the model. The steps are Initiating, Diagnosing, Establishing, Acting and Leveraging. This model was developed by SEI to help organizations improve their software processes. At the STSC, we have adopted the IDEAL Model as our process improvement philosophy.