Developed countries and global manufacturing enterprises are leading the way for developing smart manufacturing systems (SMS) to improve competitiveness and possibly make technological breakthroughs. SMS is based upon the integration of information and communication technology with manufacturing technology; and all the heterogeneous technologies must be seamlessly connected. However, there is a lack of guidance in what technologies should be deployed and how they may be used. This paper introduces a reference activity model and describes various ways in which it can be used as guidance for deploying smart manufacturing technology.