Quality Model Mania

Computerworld weighs in on the search for quality. This article is an excellent overview on the different models, who uses them and their strengths and weaknesses:

Today, IT managers have a bewildering array of quality disciplines to choose from. Some, such as Six Sigma, ISO 9000 and the Malcolm Baldrige program, may be dictated to you by your CEO. Others, such as Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology (CobiT), may be imposed by your auditors. And IT-focused disciplines may originate in your own shop, such as CMM for software development and the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) for IT operations and services.

While there is some overlap among these quality frameworks, in most cases, they don't conflict. Indeed, most large companies use two or three of them. For example, IBM uses ISO 9000, CMM, ITIL, Six Sigma and several homegrown quality programs.

Actually, it is not difficult to come up with a scenario for a truly hilarious series of Dilbert cartoons, based on the simultaneous adoption of different quality models.