Standards Comparison

    ISO 37001

    Voluntary
    2025

    International standard for anti-bribery management systems

    VS

    CMMI

    Voluntary
    2023

    Global framework for process maturity improvement

    Quick Verdict

    ISO 37001 certifies anti-bribery management systems to mitigate corruption risks globally, while CMMI benchmarks process maturity for predictable delivery in software and services. Companies adopt them for compliance assurance, risk reduction, and competitive advantage in high-stakes sectors.

    Anti-Bribery/Compliance

    ISO 37001

    ISO 37001:2025 Anti-Bribery Management Systems

    Cost
    €€€
    Complexity
    High
    Implementation Time
    6-12 months

    Key Features

    • Risk-based anti-bribery management system framework
    • Mandatory third-party due diligence and monitoring
    • Leadership commitment and anti-bribery culture emphasis
    • PDCA cycle for continuous improvement and audits
    • Internationally certifiable with Harmonized Structure integration
    Process Maturity

    CMMI

    Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI)

    Cost
    €€€€
    Complexity
    High
    Implementation Time
    12-18 months

    Key Features

    • Maturity Levels 0-5 for organizational progression
    • 25 Practice Areas in 4 Category Areas
    • Generic practices ensure process institutionalization
    • SCAMPI appraisals for official benchmarking
    • Staged and continuous representations

    Detailed Analysis

    A comprehensive look at the specific requirements, scope, and impact of each standard.

    ISO 37001 Details

    What It Is

    ISO 37001:2025 is an international certifiable standard for Anti-Bribery Management Systems (ABMS). It provides requirements to prevent, detect, and respond to bribery risks across organizations. The risk-based approach follows the Harmonized Structure (HS) and PDCA cycle, covering direct/indirect bribery by personnel and business associates.

    Key Components

    • Clauses 4-10: context, leadership, planning, support, operation, evaluation, improvement.
    • Core controls: policy, due diligence, financial/non-financial controls, training, reporting.
    • Annex A guidance on proportionality.
    • Third-party certification with audits every 12-24 months.

    Why Organizations Use It

    • Mitigates legal risks (e.g., FCPA, UK Bribery Act) via evidentiary "reasonable steps".
    • Builds reputational trust, ESG alignment, 15% compliance cost savings.
    • Enhances third-party governance (95% cases involve third parties).
    • Drives cultural shift, employee engagement uplift.

    Implementation Overview

    • Phased: gap analysis, risk assessment, controls, training, audits.
    • Scalable for all sizes/sectors; integrates with ISO 9001/27001.
    • Typical 6-12 months to certification; ongoing PDCA reviews.

    CMMI Details

    What It Is

    Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) is a performance improvement framework for process maturity and benchmarking. It provides a structured approach to institutionalize effective practices across development, services, and acquisition domains using maturity and capability levels.

    Key Components

    • 4 Category Areas (Doing, Managing, Enabling, Improving) with 12 Capability Areas and 25 Practice Areas in v2.0.
    • Maturity Levels 0-5 and Capability Levels 0-3.
    • Generic practices for institutionalization (policy, planning, monitoring).
    • SCAMPI appraisals (Class A/B/C) for certification.

    Why Organizations Use It

    • Enhances predictability, reduces rework, improves quality.
    • Meets contractual requirements in defense, regulated sectors.
    • Builds stakeholder trust via benchmarked maturity ratings.
    • Delivers ROI through data-driven optimization.

    Implementation Overview

    • Phased approach: assessment, piloting, rollout, appraisal.
    • Applies to mid-large organizations in IT, software, services.
    • Involves gap analysis, training, tooling integration.
    • Formal SCAMPI A appraisal for published results. (178 words)

    Key Differences

    Scope

    ISO 37001
    Bribery prevention, detection, response via ABMS
    CMMI
    Process improvement across development, services, acquisition

    Industry

    ISO 37001
    All sectors worldwide, any organization size
    CMMI
    Software, IT, defense, manufacturing, services

    Nature

    ISO 37001
    Voluntary certifiable management system standard
    CMMI
    Voluntary process maturity improvement framework

    Testing

    ISO 37001
    Third-party certification audits, annual surveillance
    CMMI
    SCAMPI appraisals (A/B/C), maturity/capability levels

    Penalties

    ISO 37001
    No legal penalties, loss of certification
    CMMI
    No penalties, lost contracts or market access

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Common questions about ISO 37001 and CMMI

    ISO 37001 FAQ

    CMMI FAQ

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