At this level, an organization has ad hoc or informal practices for managing open source software. There is no formal policy or process in place for managing open source software, and its use is left up to individual developers. The organization has limited visibility into open source use and does not keep track of the software used.
At this level, an organization has established some practices for managing open source software. The organization has some visibility into open source use and there are limited controls in place to manage open source software and to ensure compliance with licenses.
At this level, an organization has established proactive practices for managing open source software. The organization has a comprehensive policy in place for managing open source software, and it is consistently applied across the organization. The organization has a comprehensive inventory of open source software in use and manages it effectively. The organisation will begin to contribute to existing open source projects that it finds strategically useful. That is, becoming part of the open source community.
At this level, an organization has a well-managed process for open source software. Open source is culturally embedded in the organisation and its value is understood. At this level the organisation itself is hosting and maintaining software projects that they have open-sourced.
At this level, an organization has an optimized process for managing open source software. The organization has a continuous improvement process in place for open source software management, and it is well integrated with the overall software development process. The organization also has a strategy for consuming open source, contributing to open source software projects and engaging with the open source community.