The Next Wave for ITE Manufacturers:
Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI)

Over the years, we have witnessed ITE Manufacturing mature into a global industry that supports and fuels the growth of other industries. These days, it's hard to imagine running a business without computers, telephones, and other equipment that make our lives easier. In addition, manufacturers have been investing heavily on improving their business operations by obtaining certifications to key Standards such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 as well as implementing process improvement methodologies like Six Sigma and Lean. The result is a competitive landscape that ensures consumers receive high performance technology goods at affordable prices.

These days, leading ITE manufacturers are looking keenly into another tool to help them outmaneuver their competitors by implementing radical improvements to their product development process, particularly on the embedded software that run their hardware. This new tool is CMMI.

What is CMMI?

Capability Maturity Model Integration or CMMI is a structured process improvement approach developed by Carnegie Mellon's Software Engineering Institute to guide projects, divisions, and even entire organizations. CMMI helps integrate traditionally separate organizational functions, set process improvement goals and priorities, provide guidance for quality processes, and provide a point of reference for appraising current processes.

Recognized globally, CMMI currently focuses on four key bodies of knowledge:

Systems Engineering, Software Engineering, Integrated Product and Process Development, and Supplier Sourcing. CMMI acts as a benchmark for assessing different organizations for equivalent comparison and provides a structured view of process improvement across an organization.

By implementing CMMI best practice improvements to their embedded software or firmware development process, leading ITE manufacturers can ensure the high quality and consistent performance of their hardware. This leads to global credibility and differentiation, which is crucial when exporting to major markets like the US. If you are interested in learning more about CMMI and how UL can help you implement CMMI in your company, please contact Frederick Sy: Direct Line: (852) 2276-9536 Direct Fax: (852) 2276-9736 E-mail: frederick.c.sy@hk.ul.com