Product Integration (PI) (CMMI-DEV)

Introductory Notes

This process area addresses the integration of product components into more complex product components or into complete products.

The scope of this process area is to achieve complete product integration through progressive assembly of product components, in one stage or in incremental stages, according to a defined integration strategy and procedures. Throughout the process areas, where the terms “product” and “product component” are used, their intended meanings also encompass services, service systems, and their components.

A critical aspect of product integration is the management of internal and external interfaces of the products and product components to ensure compatibility among the interfaces. These interfaces are not limited to user interfaces, but also apply to interfaces among components of the product, including internal and external data sources, middleware, and other components that may or may not be within the development organization’s control but on which the product relies. Attention should be paid to interface management throughout the project. Product integration is more than just a one-time assembly of the product components at the conclusion of design and fabrication. Product integration can be conducted incrementally, using an iterative process of assembling product components, evaluating them, and then assembling more product components. It can be conducted using highly automated builds and continuous integration of the completed unit tested product. This process can begin with analysis and simulations (e.g., threads, rapid prototypes, virtual prototypes, physical prototypes) and steadily progress through increasingly more realistic increments until the final product is achieved. In each successive build, prototypes (virtual, rapid, or physical) are constructed, evaluated, improved, and reconstructed based on knowledge gained in the evaluation process. The degree of virtual versus physical prototyping required depends on the functionality of the design tools, the complexity of the product, and its associated risk. There is a high probability that the product, integrated in this manner, will pass product verification and validation. For some products and services, the last integration phase will occur when they are deployed at the intended operational site.

For product lines, products are assembled according to the product line production plan. The product line production plan specifies the assembly process, including which core assets to use and how product line variation is resolved within those core assets.