Standardizing management of software engineering projects

For a software engineering division of a company, the most important standards are those used for the management of the software engineering projects. While numerous, relevant, de jure, software engineering standards exist, national guidelines, such as the Department of Defense´s Capability Maturity Model, and corporate standards, such as the Microsoft Solutions Framework, exert a significant influence on the marketplace. A review of the existing standards shows significant similarity across them. The hypothesis is advanced that a major factor in determining the adoption of one standard over another is the environment of the adopter. The following methods were employed: one case study, two surveys, and one content analysis of various companies. The results show that the choice of a software engineering management standard follows the preference of a major strategic partner or customer. A company that depends on Microsoft in important business ways is inclined to adopt the Microsoft Solutions Framework. Likewise a company that is a major customer of the U.S. Department of Defense is inclined to use the Capability Maturity Model supported by the Department of Defense.