Thailand paces region in CMMI-certified software

Thailand paces region in CMMI-certified software

Mr Surapong says CMMI is improving the efficiency of software development.
Mr Surapong says CMMI is improving the efficiency of software development.

Thailand ranks No.1 in Asean for a third straight year with the highest number of software firms receiving CMMI global certification in software development.

The trend has helped increase the quality of local software and startup competitiveness amid digital transformation and the rise of emerging technologies, said the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA).

"Thailand has the most certified CMMI (capability maturity model integration) software firms in Asean," said Suwipa Wanasathop, the vice-president of Software Park Thailand overseer NSTDA, speaking after the award ceremony for 16 CMMI-certified Thai software firms. "CMMI is a foundation to build a quality process in software development and digital-driven organisations, like startups."

There are 33 active CMMI-certified firms in Thailand. Vietnam has 25, the Philippines and Malaysia each have 17, and Singapore has nine.

The NSTDA has partnered with the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (Depa) to encourage SMEs to achieve CMMI certification.

Apart from local software, deep-tech startups in artificial intelligence and digital content like map-based services have CMMI certification, which helps maintain consistency of work quality instead of relying on particular employees who might later leave the company.

The certification by the CMMI Institute helps organisations streamline process improvement and encourages a productive, efficient culture that decreases risks in software, product and service development.

"We were ranked at the top of Asean during 2016-18 for the CMMI standard," Mrs Suwipa said. "We spent 11.6 million baht to support 86 local SMEs, out of 150 firms in total, to be CMMI-certified in Thailand."

According to a research company that studied the project, CMMI certification created a fivefold economic impact, resulting in a 58-billion-baht revenue increase for CMMI companies.

The standard enables companies to deliver projects on time and reduce repetition of errors during development.

Surapong Lertsithichai, a Depa expert in the digital industry division, said the collaboration of Depa and the NSTDA on CMMI for development and for services is uplifting and improving the efficiency of software development and management.

The software business is moving towards a new service-based delivery model.

CMMI continues to meet the challenges of the changing global business landscape, helping drive business performance through building and benchmarking key capabilities in the digital transformation era.

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