Standard : Ethics are embedded in design

Purpose and Strategic Importance

This standard ensures that ethical considerations are integral to product decisions. Teams proactively address privacy, fairness, inclusivity, and security from the outset. Ethical design builds trust with customers, reduces risk, and protects long-term reputation.

It supports "Ethics by Design", while also reinforcing "Secure by Design" and "Inclusive Discovery". Without this standard, products risk bias, exclusion, and harm to customers and society.

Strategic Impact

  • Trust and confidence in products and brand
  • Reduced risk of harm, bias, or misuse
  • Compliance with evolving regulations

Risks of Not Having This Standard

  • Regulatory breaches and reputational damage
  • Exclusion of vulnerable or underrepresented groups
  • Products exploited or misused in harmful ways

CMMI Maturity Model

Level 1 – Initial

  • People & Culture: Ethics rarely considered in decisions.
  • Process & Governance: No ethical review practices in place.
  • Technology & Tools: Minimal controls for fairness, privacy, or inclusivity.
  • Measurement & Metrics: No metrics related to ethics or trust.

Level 2 – Managed

  • People & Culture: Teams occasionally raise ethical issues.
  • Process & Governance: Ad hoc reviews happen reactively.
  • Technology & Tools: Basic compliance or privacy tools used.
  • Measurement & Metrics: Limited monitoring of compliance, but not culture.

Level 3 – Defined

  • People & Culture: Teams are expected to raise and address ethical concerns.
  • Process & Governance: Defined ethical review integrated into discovery and design.
  • Technology & Tools: Standardised tools enforce privacy and accessibility.
  • Measurement & Metrics: Ethical considerations tracked alongside delivery.

Level 4 – Quantitatively Managed

  • People & Culture: Teams measure and act on ethical impacts.
  • Process & Governance: Ethical trade-offs documented and reviewed.
  • Technology & Tools: Advanced tooling integrates security, privacy, and bias detection.
  • Measurement & Metrics: Trust and fairness metrics influence investment.

Level 5 – Optimising

  • People & Culture: Ethical leadership is cultural; teams model best practice.
  • Process & Governance: Processes evolve to embed ethics proactively.
  • Technology & Tools: AI/ML tools surface emerging risks automatically.
  • Measurement & Metrics: Continuous improvement links ethical design to brand trust.

Key Measures

  • % of initiatives with ethical review completed
  • Incidents of ethical or compliance breaches
  • Accessibility and inclusivity scores of products
  • Customer trust/NPS in relation to safety and fairness