The key is to document each framework accurately: not every standard has maturity levels, and we shouldn’t invent levels for frameworks that don’t define them.
Here’s the structure I recommend for the complete guide.
1. Software process improvement and maturity
| # | Framework | Main process area | Maturity / capability structure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ASPICE | Automotive software and systems engineering | Capability levels CL0–CL5 |
| 2 | SPICE | Software process assessment | Depends on the applicable assessment model; commonly CL0–CL5 |
| 3 | CMMI | Organizational capability and performance | Traditional maturity levels 1–5; capability ratings depend on model and appraisal |
| 4 | ISO/IEC 330xx | Process assessment and capability determination | Defined by the relevant standard and assessment model |
| 5 | ISO/IEC 15504 | Legacy process assessment standards | Historical capability levels 0–5 |
| 6 | Automotive SPICE for Cybersecurity | Automotive cybersecurity processes | Depends on the applicable model and assessment scope |
| 7 | MDevSPICE | Medical device software and systems processes | Model-specific assessment structure |
| 8 | TMMi | Software testing maturity | Maturity levels 1–5 |
| 9 | TPI NEXT | Test process improvement | Maturity levels: Initial, Controlled, Efficient, Optimizing |
| 10 | IT-CMF | IT capability management | Capability assessment structure defined by the model |
2. Software testing and product quality
| # | Framework / standard | Main process area | Maturity / capability structure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | TMMi | Testing process maturity | Levels 1–5 |
| 12 | TPI NEXT | Testing process improvement | Four maturity levels |
| 13 | ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119 | Software testing processes and documentation | No universal maturity-level scale |
| 14 | ISO/IEC 25010 | Software product quality | Quality characteristics and subcharacteristics, not maturity levels |
| 15 | ISO/IEC/IEEE 730 | Software quality assurance | No universal maturity-level scale |
| 16 | Six Sigma | Process variation and defect reduction | DMAIC improvement cycle; not a universal maturity scale |
| 17 | CISQ | Software quality measurement | Quality characteristics and measurement approaches |
3. Automotive, embedded and safety-critical engineering
| # | Standard / framework | Main process area | Maturity / capability structure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | ISO 26262 | Automotive functional safety | ASIL classifications A–D; these are not maturity levels |
| 19 | ISO/SAE 21434 | Automotive cybersecurity engineering | No universal organizational maturity scale |
| 20 | IEC 61508 | Functional safety | Safety Integrity Levels SIL 1–4; not maturity levels |
| 21 | DO-178C | Airborne software assurance | Design Assurance Levels A–E; not maturity levels |
| 22 | DO-254 | Airborne electronic hardware assurance | Design Assurance Levels A–E; not maturity levels |
| 23 | IEC 62304 | Medical device software lifecycle | Software safety classes A, B and C; not maturity levels |
| 24 | ISO 13485 | Medical device quality management | No universal maturity-level scale |
| 25 | EN 50128 | Railway software | Safety integrity and assurance requirements depend on the applicable standard and context |
| 26 | ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207 | Software lifecycle processes | No universal maturity-level scale |
| 27 | ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 | Systems lifecycle processes | No universal maturity-level scale |
| 28 | ISO/IEC 29110 | Very small software and systems engineering organizations | Profiles and lifecycle practices depend on the applicable profile |
| 29 | SPICE for Space | Space engineering process assessment | Depends on the specific assessment model |
4. Cybersecurity and information security
| # | Framework / standard | Main process area | Maturity / capability structure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | ISO/IEC 27001 | Information security management | No universal maturity-level scale |
| 31 | NIST Cybersecurity Framework | Cybersecurity risk management | Four implementation tiers: Partial, Risk Informed, Repeatable, Adaptive |
| 32 | NIST SP 800-53 | Security and privacy controls | Control baselines and assessment methods, not maturity levels |
| 33 | SOC 2 | Trust services and control assurance | Type I and Type II examination/reporting; not maturity levels |
| 34 | PCI DSS | Payment card data security | Compliance levels and validation requirements depend on applicable criteria |
| 35 | IEC 62443 | Industrial automation and control security | Security levels SL0–SL4 in relevant parts; not organizational maturity levels |
| 36 | ISO/SAE 21434 | Automotive cybersecurity | No universal maturity-level scale |
| 37 | CMMC | US defense industrial base cybersecurity | Three program levels in the current CMMC model; verify current requirements |
| 38 | ISO/IEC 42001 | AI management systems | No universal maturity-level scale |
5. IT service management and governance
| # | Framework / standard | Main process area | Maturity / capability structure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 39 | ITIL | IT service management | Version- and assessment-specific qualification or maturity approaches |
| 40 | COBIT | Enterprise IT governance and management | Capability and performance assessment approaches depend on the applicable COBIT components |
| 41 | ISO/IEC 20000-1 | IT service management system | No universal maturity-level scale |
| 42 | FitSM | Lightweight IT service management | Defined requirements and assessment approaches; not a universal maturity scale |
| 43 | VeriSM | Enterprise service management | No universal maturity-level scale |
| 44 | ISO 22301 | Business continuity management | No universal maturity-level scale |
| 45 | ISO 31000 | Risk management guidelines | No universal maturity-level scale |
6. Business excellence and organizational maturity
| # | Framework | Main process area | Maturity / capability structure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | EFQM Model | Organizational excellence | Recognition and assessment approaches; not a universal five-level maturity scale |
| 47 | Baldrige Excellence Framework | Organizational performance | Criteria-based assessment and scoring |
| 48 | Lean Management | Waste reduction and value delivery | No universal maturity-level scale |
| 49 | Kaizen | Continuous improvement | No universal maturity-level scale |
| 50 | BPMM | Business process maturity | Depends on the specific BPMM model; commonly described using five maturity levels |
| 51 | OPM3 | Organizational project management | Assessment and capability improvement structure defined by the model |
| 52 | P3M3 | Portfolio, programme and project management | Maturity levels 1–5 |
| 53 | People CMM | Workforce and people-management capability | Maturity levels 1–5 |
| 54 | DMM | Data management maturity | Maturity levels 1–5 in the model |
7. Additional categories to include in a truly comprehensive catalogue
To avoid limiting the guide to the original 54 entries, I would also add these related frameworks and standards.
| # | Framework / standard | Main area |
|---|---|---|
| 55 | ISO 9001 | Quality management systems |
| 56 | ISO 14001 | Environmental management |
| 57 | ISO 45001 | Occupational health and safety |
| 58 | ISO 50001 | Energy management |
| 59 | ISO 22316 | Organizational resilience |
| 60 | ISO/IEC 38500 | Governance of IT |
| 61 | ISO/IEC 27701 | Privacy information management |
| 62 | ISO/IEC 20000 family | IT service management |
| 63 | ISO/IEC 38505 family | Governance of data |
| 64 | NIST SP 800-218 (SSDF) | Secure software development |
| 65 | OWASP SAMM | Software assurance maturity |
| 66 | BSIMM | Software security practices and measurement |
| 67 | OWASP ASVS | Application security verification requirements |
| 68 | OWASP MASVS | Mobile application security verification |
| 69 | SAFe | Enterprise Agile development and delivery |
| 70 | Scrum | Agile product development framework |
| 71 | Kanban Method | Workflow management and improvement |
| 72 | ISO/IEC 38507 | Governance implications of AI use by organizations |
| 73 | ISO/IEC 23894 | AI risk management |
| 74 | ISO/IEC 27017 | Cloud security controls |
| 75 | ISO/IEC 27018 | Protection of personal information in public clouds |
| 76 | ISO/IEC 27799 | Health informatics information security |
| 77 | ISO/IEC 19770 | IT asset management |
| 78 | ISO 10006 | Quality management in projects |
| 79 | ISO 21502 | Project, programme and portfolio management guidance |
| 80 | PRINCE2 | Project management method |
These additional entries expand the catalogue across quality, environmental management, occupational safety, software security, Agile delivery, AI governance, cloud security, and project management.
Important qualification: This is a broad catalogue, not a claim that all 80 entries are maturity models. Some are standards, some are methods, some are security verification frameworks, and some are organizational assessment models.
I’m Rajesh Kumar, a DevOps, SRE, DevSecOps, Cloud, and Platform Engineering expert passionate about sharing practical knowledge, real-world experiences, and industry best practices. I have worked at Cotocus and regularly write about technology, travel, investing, health, product reviews, and digital marketing through my various platforms.
I publish technical articles at DevOps School, travel stories at Holiday Landmark, stock market insights at Stocks Mantra, health and fitness guidance at My Medic Plus, product reviews at TrueReviewNow, and SEO and digital marketing strategies at Wizbrand.
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