Evolution of the frameworks quagmire

Various combinations of national and international standards bodies, government organizations, professional societies, and other quasilegislative bodies, each vying for influence over a particular market sector, have promulgated a dizzying array of software and system process standards, recommended practices, guidelines, maturity models, and other frameworks. The resulting quagmire has quenched the ardor of many organizations seeking accreditation for one or more frameworks. Software and systems engineers question whether the qualification process will lead to quarrels over interpretation rather than quick and real progress. In 1997, the Software Productivity Consortium created a Web site to help organizations understand which frameworks were most important and how they related to each other (http://www.software.org/quagmire). As the paper shows, many new frameworks and updates to existing frameworks have appeared since then. Fortunately, most of these additions recognize the need for compatibility and attempt to define their relationship with other models.